Fire Induced Epiphanies
by Mia.Rose.777
Summary: COMPLETE! Babe's, Stephanie has some epiphanies and decides to take control of the situation with Ranger...as much as he'll allow. Does it all work out for the best in the end? 1-shot turned CH story - RATING is for all the smut, and probably language to
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so I don't usually write fanfic's, but I do occasionally like to come and read all the great Plum works you all write on here, and really I **should** have used my day to write 6,000 words on my WIP... but I had this idea and it was bugging me so I just got it out of my head and now feel compelled to share it.  
It's bound to be a bit OOC, and Cupcake fans probably won't enjoy it at all. Hope the rest of you enjoy, Thanks!

* * *

Do you remember sitting around the campfire when you were young, getting lost in the flickering flames that were contained in front of you? If you were like me, you were also melting the bottoms of your brand new expensive sneakers that you had just managed to talk your mother into buying for you as you dazed wondrously at the flicker of lights playing.

From experience, I know that fire can be the cause of life changing occurrences. It can wipe out your wardrobe if your house catches fire, it can make you infamous for burning down a funeral parlor, it can get you involved with a gang in the form of a Molotov cocktail, it can be in the form of a bomb strapped to your middle by a psycho, it can be used as a threat to my body as a flamethrower, it can relieve you of a rented cello you lied about being able to play and, in my current predicament, it can send your car to heaven. Trust me, I know.

It can also in some inexplicable way, as you become hypnotized with the flames, cause you to look at things and people (or life as you know it) in a different light. No pun intended.

Maybe I should explain a little more. My name is Stephanie Plum and I do the super-hero-esque job of relieving the streets of rogue criminals. In other, less exciting words, I'm a fugitive apprehension agent a.k.a bounty hunter. Exciting, right? You have no idea. Of course every once in a while (okay, okay, a lot of the while) those damned FTA's (failure to appear's) tend to be slightly dangerous to not only my health, but to the health of my cars as well. This time is no different. Willie Woodcock, charged with drunk and disorderly, indecent exposure, and assaulting a police officer, just blew up my new (to me anyway) Toyota 4-Runner.

Which would be why I'm sitting on a scalding piece of cement curb, in a Trenton heat wave, watching the flames grow higher and higher, and waiting for the routine I knew was about to follow. I've been through it enough by now to have it memorized. Sad, isn't it?

Some nosy nearby neighbor would have called the cops, so any minute I would hear the sirens of a couple blue & whites and the Fire Department (ambulances would only be called for later, if needed). They would make some remarks, exchange betting money, and finally make sure there were no casualties. All in a days work.

Sometime during this, after two dozen phone calls to his cell letting him know about my most recent disaster, Joe Morelli would pull up in his unmarked police issued P.O.S. and would begin yelling, arms flailing while making arguments for me to quit my job so I could marry him and become a stay at home typical 'Burg mom. Even if we were currently in another one of our off-again stages of our relationship (like we were), his reaction would be the same… and so would mine. I would respond back with my own Italian temper making an appearance, not letting my own gestures and yelling get upstaged, as I argued back.

Of course, at some point during the ruckus, my own personal Batman (a.k.a. Ranger a.k.a. Ricardo Carlos Manoso) would pull up in one of his expensive black cars to make sure I hadn't died. All of my cars suspiciously gain a GPS tracker that reports straight to Rangeman (Ranger's security company) and when I forget to call after my car goes offline (like I always do) he'll pop in to insure he's not needed to save the day. He will either amble over, look me over for injuries, say 'babe' and leave… or if I was _really_ lucky he would whisk me off in the current Batmobile with a ride back home so I could clean up and _he_ could steal a few kisses that would give me the strength to complete my day.

Staring into the dancing flames I thought about the routine I had become so familiar with, and the feelings it always produced. It seemed like my life had become one giant, confusing, frustrating, breathtaking, sometimes scary, emotional twisting rollercoaster. Like Space Mountain. Fun, yes. Scary, yes. In the complete dark so you never know what's coming up next, yes. It's not that I was unhappy in my life, but I wasn't happy either.

Joe and I had a relationship that I couldn't define, but a part of me recognized that Ranger was right about our 'unhealthy pattern of behavior' that stemmed from not being able to even date for too long at a time without breaks from each other. Really, what does that say about us? Besides the fact that even when Joe and I are together I'm lusting after another man, even to the point of allowing him the occasional poach. I would never literally cheat on Joe, but probably poached kisses are a form of cheating… not to mention being mentally unfaithful.

 

Screeching sirens jolted me out of my reverie and I couldn't resist a long sigh. I noted I had been doing more than my usual amount of defeated sighs lately. Maybe I needed a vacation… far, far away from Trenton and being the 'Bombshell Bounty Hunter' for everyone's entertainment purposes.

Carl and Big Dog angled out of the first Blue & White on scene with matching grins. I smiled back and waited for the comments to start. I didn't have to wait long.

"Damn Steph!" Big Dog grinned, hands on hips, looking at what remained of my car. "How long did this one last? If the timing's right you might have made me rich today." I smiled back but didn't answer, instead watching Carl walk the perimeter, beginning the report. I watched in silence as the fire truck pulled up at the same time as the second blue & white, followed after a few minutes by Joe's beige P.O.S.

I guess its time for the screaming match of today's entertainment.

Morelli angled out and paused to look at the charred car, running a hand through his brown hair that perpetually need a haircut, and shaking his head as he headed my way. Morelli looks like Hollywood's version of a detective, boasting classic Italian good looks and a hard lean body. Women all around Trenton use Joseph Morelli as their ultimate fantasy… he wasn't voted as having the best ass for nothing after all. Personally I don't have to fantasize anymore, and lately the sex isn't worth the effort of all the arguments that tend to accompany it. Sad, I know. I didn't bother to stand up yet, knowing once I got good and pissed off my anger would make me jump to my feet, so there was no need to waste the energy doing it now.

Joe stopped in front of me, hands on hips, jaw ticking; I sighed.

His stance reminded me of our last big argument, the one that had turned the on-again into the off-again stage for us after finding out about my Rangeman panties. I had Grandma Mazur to thank for that one, bringing them up at the dinner table in front of my entire family and Joe, asking all sorts of embarrassing questions. Needless to say Joe wasn't happy about the discovery, and I had let my mouth run by telling him it was his fault anyway for asking Ranger to take care of me. It had been a pretty bad fight, even for us.

Growing up it used to be that I craved seeing Morelli; since I was six years old and he taught me the 'choo-choo' game, to the time I was sixteen and he finagled my panties (and virginity) from me on the floor of the Tasty Pastry. Not to mention when I was eighteen and I nicked him with Big Blue upon seeing him, breaking his leg. Then of course, there was the time he was FTA and my first official skip to bring in, making me want to see him for a different reason all together (like 10,000). Lately however, I realized we had gotten to the point where I associated seeing him at my crime scenes with seeing my mother at dinner when I'm single; pure dread. I love my mother, and I love Joe (probably always will, no matter what), but I don't love being nagged and berated which is something they both do. Sad, but true… and actually pretty scary that I've lumped someone who wants to marry me in the same category as my mother.

"Jesus, Cupcake… what happened _this_ time?" My back instantly stiffened.

"Willie Woodcock squirted my car with gas and then flicked his cigarette at it." Well, that was the bare facts anyway. No need clouding up the story with things such as the fact that he's running around in my cuffs and threatening revenge.

"God, this is just not normal…" Joe grumbled, running his hand through his hair again. "I need my Maalox; you're giving me an ulcer."

"No one said you had to come here to check on me, Morelli." I gritted, jumping to my feet. "I'm not your girlfriend anymore… go take your Maalox in private."

"Cupcake…"

"No, don't start Joe, it's too damned hot, and I don't have the energy to fight with you." I cut him off, throwing my hands in the air with a sigh. I was being honest too, getting into a heated Italian temper tantrum right now was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted to surround my self in coolness and zen-calm.

Ranger's apartment flashed in my mind and I determinedly forced it out. I was so _not_ going to go there right now.

Then, as if the thought alone had conjured the man himself, Ranger's black Porsche pulled up at the curb feet away.

I felt a small smile grace my lips despite everything. I tuned Joe's grumbles out and focused on watching Ranger approach, gathering the attention of every female and cop in radius, for very different reasons. Women tend to walk into walls and trip over themselves when they see Ranger, and law enforcement tends to keep an eye on his mood hoping he won't do anything illegal in front of them that they would have to ignore. _Everyone_ watches to make sure they're not in harms way… Ranger simply screams hot and dangerous. He was dressed in his usual bad ass bounty hunter all black today, trading the painted on shirt for the painted on wife-beater with his cargos (thanks to the stifling July weather).

And yes, I really did send up a prayer of thanks for the heat that allowed such a wonderful sight of glistening muscles. Even if it did make my hair frizz, my clothes stick to me and my deodorant work double over time.

I had my head turned away from Joe but I could feel the tension raise a few notches at Ranger's arrival and could picture the narrowed eyes and clenched jaw. Not that he'd be surprised to see Ranger show, and not that we're together anymore, but I know for a fact Joe will never be fully comfortable with _any_ sort of friendship I have with Ranger. It's one of the biggest things we fight about, lumped in with my choice of jobs and my refusal to marry him. It seemed to have escalated ever since the Scrog incident. For some reason Morelli hadn't liked a few of the pictures of Ranger and I and had definitely hated the 'intimate' implication of my role. Not even mentioning the fact that Ranger had walked prepared to die for his daughter and I to be free and I had been absolutely inconsolable watching it happen. Of course it was followed up by the shattering of my trust in Morelli during the Dickie incident while Ranger stepped in and took care of me, causing the Rangeman panty fiasco. I sighed again at the new level of alpha-male testosterone.

"Babe." Was all he said, sliding off his mirrored sunglasses and running his eyes along the length of my body. I'm not sure if he was looking for injuries or just trying to heat my blood… but he definitely achieved the latter.

"Yeah, I know, I'm fine." I answered. I've learned over the years to translate what Ranger _doesn't_ speak out loud, especially when it comes to the word 'Babe' that can equal half the words in the dictionary the way he says it.

He didn't respond, didn't quirk an eyebrow, he just stared at me willing me to answer him again, but truthfully this time. The man of mystery was obviously intent on showing off his 'I can see your soul' powers.

"I just need some happy, I'm scary low on happy right now."

Ranger raised an eyebrow, his already dark chocolate eyes turning almost black as a smile hinted on his lips. If we had been alone he probably would have sidled up so that there wasn't room for air between us, and huskily whispered in my ear his offers of 'happy' followed by a kiss that would have turned my legs to jelly. Unfortunately half the 'Burg was watching us like Must See TV.

"I know." I let out another sigh in response. "Don't go there right now." What I left unsaid of course, is that he shouldn't go there right now because I was sorely tempted to jump his bones no matter who happened to be watching.

I was in a bad state, it's been a very long month, my shower massager wasn't up to par anymore, and a Ranger-Induced-Doomsday-Orgasm sounded like a very good way to get happy. Until, of course, the morning after. Even naked, sweaty mocha skin couldn't make up for the way I would feel as Ranger walked away the next morning. Again. Been there, done that, and the jury was still out on whether the juice had been worth the squeeze.

"Babe." Apparently his ESP was working today. I blushed.

"I need a donut." I blurted. There was a slight shake of his head that equaled exasperation in Ranger non-talk.

"I know, I know… that stuff will kill me." I didn't care, I needed to get my hormones under control and the only non-man way to do that was a Boston Cream donut. And if I stayed around Ranger too much longer, looking as yummy as he did, I'd have to make it an even dozen to avoid eating him up instead. Ranger knew it too, I could tell by the almost-smirk he had on his face. "Shut-up."

"Cupcake, the fact that you're having a completely one sided conversation and that it's obviously making sense to both of you..." Joe's voice interrupted, and then trailed off, obviously not wanting to go in that direction. At least, not in front of so many witnesses.

Huh, he's right. I can almost have a silent conversation with the man of mystery. Maybe I do have ESP!

Ranger's hint of a smile tilted up a little more and his eyes crinkled at the corners, he was laughing at me. I guess I should start paying extra attention to the things he doesn't say and see how much I can pick up with my newly discovered ESP abilities. His smile got a bit bigger.

"Shut-up." I told him.

"It's scary how well you're getting to know him." Joe stated.

"Scary for who?" I asked, making Ranger actually flash the 200 watt grin and Joe shake his head and walk away. I'm pretty sure I saw an innocent bystander faint at the sight of Ranger's smile out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn't pull my eyes away from him long enough to check.

"You need anything?"

I wasn't really sure I could simply _ask_ for an earth shattering orgasm… and more importantly I _really_ wasn't sure I wouldn't chicken out if I did.

"No, that's okay, I'll wait for Eddie to finish the report and then I'll give my dad a call so I can grab Big Blue." I grimaced a little. Big Blue was indestructible, but it was also the size of a tank and about as attractive. Needless to say I only borrowed it in dire car emergencies only… needless to say I ended up driving it a lot. Sad, but true.

Ranger would loan me a car if I asked, but I can't bring myself to risk another Ranger-car. I may not have any control over him bleeding money ordering his Merry Men to baby-sit me when I find trouble, but I _can_ control driving one of his cars that will surely die in my possession.

Ranger nodded before disappearing out of the commotion like smoke and leaving me hot, bothered, alone, and dialing my dad.

Some days I wonder if I've pissed God off with the overuse of my shower massager and I'm being punished.

 

I drove back to my apartment that evening with the beginnings of a headache that can only be achieved by a night at the Plum household for dinner after one of my infamous disasters.

My mother spent the night pointing out friends' daughters that don't have dangerous jobs, crossing herself, asking about my getting married to Joe, and tippling every 10 minutes. She had spent the day fielding phone calls and ironing everything in the house.

Grandma Mazur spent the night trying to get intimate details about my relationship with Joe or Ranger (specifically, their respective packages) that she could tell the girls down at the parlor. I could only thank Heaven above that Valerie, Albert and girls weren't there because there would have been no way I would have survived the night.

Although, all the questions Grandma had been asking about packages and details about said packages had brought forward the orgasm cravings with a vengeance.

Ranger had once told me that if Morelli was out of my bed for too long, he would be back in it, but he had left that ball in my court and I had been aimlessly dribbling it around trying to decide what to do with it. We both know he could convince me in 10 seconds if he tried, so it was nice of him to leave it as an open invitation and the standard pressure he applied.

Don't get me wrong, just the thought of an orgasm from Ranger contracts my nipples and breaks my skin out in goose-bumps, but I'm weary. I may have become a nymphomaniac, but I do require some sort of commitment from the person I'm sleeping with, and Ranger seems intent on driving home the point that he's very non-committal oriented. It's left us at an impasse that is filled to the brim with sexual frustration, stolen kisses, poaching and, oddly enough, a deep friendship.

I decided as I shoved through the door of my apartment, that what I really needed was a pint with my two favorite men Ben & Jerry. I sang hello to Rex as I dropped my handbag on the counter before snagging my ice cream and a grape for Rex out of my barren fridge. My hamster scurried out of his can, snatched the grape, scurried back into his house and wriggled his butt in thanks for his tasty treat. I brought the ice cream into the bedroom with me so I can savor the Cherry Garcia and change into my Vickie's knit boxers and tank at the same time. When I had finished, I grabbed the pint and fell onto my bed and straight into my thinking position.

Maybe I should just call Joe, ask if the boys miss me, and get an orgasm.

Or, maybe I should stop being a chicken and force the issues out in the open with Ranger so we can finally stop dancing around each other. Sometimes I wonder if we're _ever_ going to be on the same page.

Suddenly, like a cartoon light bulb flicked on over my head, all the mini-epiphanies I'd had in the back of my head all day fell together and completed the big picture. I had been so intent on listening to Ranger's words throughout the years (maybe valuing them more since they were so rare) that I allowed them overshadow what his actions said.

"Unh!" I did a forehead smack.

I remember asking him once what he would call his position in my life, and he had desert… something that could never be the base of my food pyramid. Now, that makes sense for his food pyramid, but he knows me well enough that desert is very much the base of my food pyramid, I had just never argued the point with him. At the time I had assumed he was confusing our food pyramids as being similar… but maybe not. Batman doesn't confuse things very often.

The fact that his love came with a condom instead of a ring, well looking at it objectively, was what I wanted. Joe kept offering me a ring and I kept freaking out about it, but the offering of condoms I was perfectly okay with as long as it was _exclusivity_ of condom sharing.

He had mentioned he wasn't family material, but I wasn't anywhere near ready in my own life to start a family either. Considering I wanted one at all, they jury was still out on whether or not I wanted kids.

The whole lifestyle not lending itself to relationships was stating an honest fact and not necessarily saying they're impossible, just more difficult in his line of work. Looking back, I've probably gotten Ranger hurt more from people coming after me than the other way around, and we both know I attract more crazies. Anytime I have someone after me he brings me closer to him, protecting me with himself, his men, and sometimes his apartment. We both know the closer I am to him to safer I am, making the relationship argument that much more ridiculous. Besides the fact that everyone outside the 'Burg (and probably most of the people in it too) associated us as a couple already. If you thought about it even more, most of the semi-psychos I've had to deal with would have probably left me alone in fear of him, and not being an 'official' couple hadn't stopped the occasional bad guy in the past from trying to get to him through me, so obviously it wasn't too much of a secret that he loved me.

He loved me, I repeated again in my head with a smile, and even though he generalized it as being 'in his own way' I wouldn't have it any _other_ way. I've been experiencing his way of love through his support, guidance, protectiveness, sacrifices, respect and tenderness for years now… and it's perfect.

Well, it could certainly be improved on with nightly naked-sweaty-Ranger, but besides the lack of intimacy, the relationship we have is exactly what I've been looking for my whole life. Hell, he at least had the guts to actually say the words to me, which is more than I can say for myself.

There is still the problem of his overactive mysteriousness, although it seemed like the more time we spent together, the more he shared. Besides the fact that he's already proven he'll tell me a lot more about himself than the majority of people know. Probably if we did end up in an actual commitment type relationship he'd be more inclined to share himself. Knowing him, he wouldn't share all his secrets with someone who happens to be dating someone else, no matter what he might feel… probably he saw it as not a wise move for the man of mystery with the deep dark secrets to blab unnecessarily. I'm not sure why, but I have a feeling he associates life long commitment with sharing intimate details. Something to look into.

I propped myself up and took a bite of ice cream, staring into nothingness as I fully realized the extent of my stupidity. Well, Ranger has some fault in the mess, but I still should have realized all of this a whole hell of a lot sooner. Oh boy, think of all the Ranger-Orgasms I've missed out on! I was going to have to rectify that as soon as possible.

It was on that sinful thought that I heard the locks tumble on my front door and I grinned. Thank the Lord for Ranger's long distance ESP. He materialized from the hall, leaned against the doorjamb, and ran his eyes over me in a caress.

"Did you get your happy taken care of?" he asked, noting the sly smile that I couldn't seem to wipe off my face.

"Not yet, but I will." I responded, keeping my eyes locked on his so I could watch them darken.

I slowly stood up, allowing the force field that always surrounds him to pull me closer, until you couldn't slip a piece of paper between us and Ranger's back was flat against the wall. His eyes hadn't left mine and they reflected a mixed pool of desire and something I might have to call confusion. I was never the pursuer between us, and Ranger was obviously going to wait and watch to see what I was going to do.

Probably we should talk, probably I should run through the things I had discovered with him... but since we were both pretty non-talking-about-our-emotions types of people, I decided to skip straight to the orgasm and for once let my actions do some talking for me. We could talk later, when we were naked and in bed and endorphins had mellowed us out. If I'm going to have to spill my guts and be emotional I'm at least going to get my doomsday orgasm.

And I'm going to eat my dessert first.

I brought my hands up to his shoulders and slowly trailed them down each side of his ribs, unconsciously wetting my lips with my tongue. When my hands reached the waistband of his black cargos I used the belt loops as an anchor as I slowly stood on my toes and softly brushed my lips across his. I felt his body tighten and so I did it again. I never realized how turned on I would be by taking the driver's seat between the two of us. Knowing, feeling, watching something I did affect him was the best aphrodisiac on earth. I pulled back a hair so that I could look into his eyes, and the depth of desire and love that was reflected there made my heart start pounding. This was right, and there were no way to argue it. My body instantly responded and before I knew what I was doing, I had my hands on the back of his neck pulling his lips to mine in an overheated kiss that poured out every ounce of my love for him. I felt more than heard his groan reverberate in his chest over the blood pounding through my body, and instantaneously his hands were everywhere. One of his hands buried itself in my hair while the other slid down my back, cupped the curve of my bottom, and pulled me hard against his length. I arched my hips into him and emitted a groan from both of us that echoed in our mouths. He turned us, switching our places and pushing the weight of his body into me and wet heat instantly pooled between my legs. His hands used the curve of my bottom to pull me up, pinning me against the wall with his full weight as my legs wrapped around his waist. His lips left mine, traveling across my jaw line and trailing down the cord of my bent neck to give him better access. He nipped lightly and my nails dug into his shoulders as I ground my hips hard against him in an attempt to relieve some of the building pressure.

"Dios, babe." He gasped against my collarbone, making me shiver as his breath sucked in and out again against my damn skin. I couldn't handle much more, and judging from the fact that it felt like Ranger's cargos were going to burst with the pressure of his hardness, I didn't think he could either. As if reading my mind, one of his hands crawled up my spine to the back of my head and commandeered my mouth in a tangle of tongues that made my head spin, obviously distracting me enough that I hadn't noticed he had carried me into the bedroom until I felt the mattress on my back. I immediately grasped at the thin fabric that covered his chest, craving the skin on skin contact, and he complied by pulling away only enough to remove both of our tanks. Seconds later his lips were back on mine and arched deliciously into his chest, reveling the feeling. Before I even had the chance to comprehend that his lips had left mine I felt his mouth, his lips, oh God, his teeth, on my nipple. My body pushed into him on its own accord and my eyes were lidded with the pleasure, trying to get as close as possible, knowing it wasn't anywhere close enough, not yet.

"Ranger, please…" My brain wasn't working well enough in its lust induced fog to articulate that I _needed_ him to be inside of me, filling me.

"What do you want Babe?" His voice rumbled over my skin as his head trailed down the flat plane of my stomach and I let out an involuntary breathless moan when I realized where he was headed. I felt the tiny boxers being tugged down my legs followed by Ranger's hands whispering back up the length until he paused at my core.

"Tell me what you want Babe…" His breath whooshed over my damp folds causing a shudder to wrack my body. I forced my eyes to open and lock with his as I answered, knowing everything I felt for him would be written in my eyes.

"You."

He growled low in his throat, his eyes flashing in the dwindling twilight as he instantly shoved two fingers inside of me, directly where I needed it most, nipping at the bud of my desire softly. The sudden intrusion, the feeling of his mouth on me pushed me over the edge and I felt my body tighten around his fingers tightly.

I heard Ranger's soft voice grumble something but I couldn't understand what it was over the pounding of my heart.

In the next instant I felt his hard length quickly slide into me until he was buried to the hilt, his hands gripping my hips as if holding onto his life line. The sensation on my already hyper-sensitized body ripped a low moan from my chest and caused my eyes to fly open, instantly locking with Ranger's across the length of my body as he kneeled between my spread legs. My breath caught at the pure emotion I could read in them, for once his blank face was completely gone and I etched the look onto my heart; no matter what happened in the future, I would cherish this moment forever. He broke the moment first, pulling himself almost completely out of my body before thrusting back in. The force of the feelings had me grasping at his shoulders, begging him silently to come closer, to let me feel as much of his skin as I could against mine, to feel his lips against mine, to feel our hearts beating so close. My body felt like nothing more than a ball of heightened senses; my skin prickled at his touch causing constant shivers of pleasure to course through my body, squeezing his length as he slid agonizingly slow in and out, rubbing his body against me. Bulgari mingled with the scent of our sweat and desire, permeating the thick air around us, enveloping us. Our combined ragged breathing and pounding heartbeats took over, effectively shutting out anything outside of my bed. Nothing else mattered, nothing else existed but the two of us wrapped up fully in each other. The wave that had been slowly simmering beneath my skin suddenly boiled and I claimed Ranger's mouth impatiently, nipping his bottom lip, sucking on his tongue, dueling. A low guttural sound escaped from his chest and he was instantly pounding into me the way I needed. I broke away from his lips, needing to let loose the moans that his actions caused on my body. His fingers lightly grazed my bud and it was all it took for me to shatter again, my body clenching and shuddering almost violently with the force of my release. Ranger followed immediately as my body milked every last drop of his desire and he collapsed over me in a sated heap of mocha-toned glistening muscle.

 

I must have dozed because the next thing I remember is Ranger arranging me so that I was cuddled on his bare chest, his arms banded around my waist holding me close, and our legs tangled. Even completely sated I wanted to be as close as I could, knowing full well nothing would be close enough unless he was buried deep inside of me. I couldn't control the shiver that the memory provoked.

"Are you cold babe?" Ranger's husky voice asked. I shook my head no and laid a small kiss on his chest in response. His arms tightened again and I smiled. "So, are you ready to talk now?" he asked a minute later causing a burst of laughter to escape my mouth. I should have known Ranger would have understood perfectly.

"Are you?" I asked with a grin, tilting my head so my chin rested on his chest and I could see his face in the soft light from the hall. He raised an eyebrow. His eyes had gone molten, his angular face had softened, and his usual tightly coiled body was relaxed into the mattress. "I love you." I stated simply with a shrug. If nothing else, he deserved to know that. I felt his body tighten, squeezing me tighter against him and watched as his molten eyes turned to black with emotion. In an instant, I was pulled up his chest and his lips crashed upon mine in a hard kiss that was tender enough to speak volumes about what my statement had meant to him. When he pulled away, I was breathless and warmth had pooled in more than a few places on my body.

"Babe." I smiled at the one word that could convey so much.

"Not that I didn't already know that," I continued once I had caught my breath. "But I did finally make some other important realizations regarding us." His eyebrow quirked again… Batman was intrigued. I took a deep breath, noting that I was not nervous, odd for me when it came to discussing my feelings. "I thought back to all the things you've said to me over the years that I had used to build the wall standing between us and re-evaluated. First, I realized I had been paying entirely too much attention to your stupid comments and not enough to your actions." Ranger looked a little taken aback at that; probably no one had called his comments stupid before. "Besides, all your talk about your life not lending itself to relationships sounded silly compared to my life, especially when everyone and their mother already assumes we have a relationship… not to mention the fact that you keep me as close to you as possible if I _am_ in any sort of danger. It's obvious I'm safer with you than without you." I took a breath and tried to gage Ranger's reaction so far. Other than the widening of his eyes ever so slightly, it hadn't changed. I'm pretty sure I'm shocking the man of mystery… not easy to do. "I know you don't want to get married and do the family thing, but neither do I right now… if ever." I gave a little shrug. "There were more, but long story short, all your arguments were canceled out, and you love me." I finished simply. "All the red tape sort of fell away and everything became a lot simpler, so I finally allowed myself a Ranger-Induced-Orgasm figuring I could make you see reason." At that last little part both eyebrows raised, which on anyone else would equal a full jaw dropping gape. Hmmm… maybe I shouldn't have sounded so sure and matter of fact, and probably the word 'made' was a bit much. I'm not completely convinced anyone can 'make' Ranger do anything. Probably he loved me too much to ship me off in a crate to a small third world country, but I guess I would be finding out for sure.

"Explain 'making me see reason'." He said after a few heartbeats of silence that had me mentally squirming. Well, he hasn't jumped out of the bed and ran naked for the door yet, probably that's promising.

I decided the conversation needed some levity. That, and after all that feelings talking (not to mention the heated kiss that had gotten me ready and willing again), I figured I deserved another Ranger-Orgasm as a reward.

"Well…" my voice sounded husky even to my own ears as I slowly slid my skin across his, arranging myself so that my legs were straddling his hips and our chests met. "I thought maybe I could show you the benefits of adding exclusive sexual rights to the relationship we already have." His body hardened, and lengthened, in response and I stretched so our lips could meet in a sensually soft kiss that held nothing but love and promises.

"You never disappoint Babe." He whispered against my lips as he slid inside of me. I smiled.

"Neither do you."

 

And they lived happily ever after…


	2. Or Did They?

It was the shrill ring of a phone that dragged me unwillingly through layers of thick, deep sleep that can only be accomplished by being thoroughly exhausted

It was the shrill ring of a phone that dragged me unwillingly through layers of thick, deep sleep that can only be accomplished by being thoroughly exhausted. In my personal case this morning, I wasn't going to complain about the lack of sleep. In fact, as my pillow shifted under me to reach for the offending piece of equipment, I decided I could probably learn to have only 3 hours of sleep every night for the rest of my life.

"Yo." I felt the grumble of his deep voice, deliciously even deeper and huskier than normal in the early morning, under my cheek and I sighed with contentment. Sex endorphins can obviously kick the asses the early morning bitch thoughts because I think I just smiled at the feel of Ranger's hand lightly whispering across the length of my bare back. In my current blissful arrangement of sticky skin, I couldn't imagine what took us so long to get to this point.

"Be there in 20."

Except that.

I heard the phone snap shut and had an unflattering flashback to the single previous night we had spent together – and felt my heart constrict painfully in my chest. Doubts instantly flooded, making me second guess everything I had assumed yesterday – and I hated it.

Of course, I probably should have been more focused on talking through everything instead of seeing how many Ranger orgasms I could fit into a night, but I blame that fully on the Hungarian hormones.

I silently berated myself, forcing my now tense body to relax back into him, repeating over and over that it wasn't going to be anything like last time. They were, as Ranger had once phrased it, emotionally invested in each other.

"Babe, I have to go." His voice startled me out of my mantra, but I refused to move a muscle. I wasn't giving up my heavenly position so easily; I decided I would need some serious convincing.

He ran his fingers through my hair, breaking my body out in sensual chills, as they came down to cup my face and force it to face him. His lips met mine tenderly, his hands roaming deliciously over my sensitive skin, and just when I was becoming completely oblivious to everything outside of this room… he was gone.

I blinked, almost dizzy from the crash back to earth before looking to my right and dazedly watching him throw on his clothes from yesterday. The insane realization that all black ensembles obviously helped out tremendously in these types of situations crossed my mind, as no one would know you were wearing the same clothes as the previous day if they all looked alike. Something to consider.

Then, before I could even comprehend what was happening, he had walked out of my bedroom heading for the front door.

What the… oh, hell no. I went from dazed-and-confused to rhino-bitch mode in 0.2 seconds.

"Wait just one minute there, Buster!" I yelled, hastily throwing on the first oversized T-shirt I came across on my floor and rushing down the hall. Ranger had paused at my front door, holding the knob in his hand and watching me barrel into his sight, head cocked curiously. Batman confusion. "Where are you off to? Who was that on the phone?"

Ranger exhaled a bit of breath that equaled a sigh and simply said, "Babe." I was exasperating a man with two guns and a knife hidden on his extraordinary body and probably, if I didn't want to see the inside of a shipping crate, I should shut my mouth now.

Unfortunately, Stupid-Stephanie had taken over and was hell bent on clarifying this new situation.

"Don't 'Babe' me… didn't we come to an understanding last night?"

At the reference to last night's _'understanding'_ Ranger's eyes darkened into molten pools of lust and I immediately felt my nipples pucker in response. I was suddenly _extremely_ aware that I was wearing nothing but a T-shirt… damned Hungarian hormones. I felt a blush overtake my body and I looked quickly away from the tempting Cuban Sex God.

_Note to self: Still not prepared for Ranger style double entendres._

"This would be a good moment to start working on your lack of communication issues."

Ranger raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything and Stupid-Stephanie instantly reared her head again, wanting to push the limits of Mystery Man's control.

"For example: 'Babe that was Tank… I have a meeting in a half hour, I'll call you later…'" I imitated, in a deep, mocking tone. I saw Ranger's lips stretch into one of his rare, genuine smiles and knew I was amusing him. The sight boosted my confidence and I continued to tease. "Okay, probably you'll never get to that many words all at once, but you get the point."

"Babe, you know without me telling you that when I get a call like that its work related, especially since you just summarized my conversation _for_ me, and we usually do see each other or talk without planning to." He almost sounded exasperated, but luckily for me, still amused. Obviously, the ESP was out of order and he had no idea why I was making this into a big deal.

"How often do we have phone conversations that have nothing to do with work or S.O.S. calls?" I countered. "And occasionally seeing you pass through the bonds office for 5 minutes… 10 if it includes a trip to the alley, _isn't_ what I had in mind."

His blank face had slipped on along with his work clothes, but I could see the spark of realization in his eyes at my words – Ranger's own personal light bulb moment.

"See… you have some serious catching up to do in the whole light-bulb-epiphanies race." My voice was purely mocking seriousness.

I didn't see him move but suddenly I was pinned between the hard wall at my back and his rock hard body molded to my front, his face centimeters from mine.

"And you still have some explaining to do about a few of your epiphanies, Babe. I let you distract me last night, but I haven't forgotten." The feel of rumbling from his chest due to his low voice vs. the silkiness that flowed over my body from his tone initiated a pleasurable shiver through me. Which is why it took me a minute to decipher the words he had actually spoken and not just how they felt, and I immediately remembered describing words that had come out of his mouth as stupid. Probably I wouldn't want to explain that… probably I'll go with a distraction technique again. It would be a hardship, but I'm pretty sure I could handle the torture.


	3. Glass More Than Half Full

Okay, I have absolutely **no** plan on where this is going... but I've been on a writing whirlwind lately and I obviously haven't been able to let this story die. So far it's just full of random fun and Batman smut.  
Anyways, reviews or suggestions always welcome. Thanks a lot everyone!

P.S. Usual disclaimers and crap. I don't own the characters and I'm not making any money off of this stuff. yet.

After allowing Ranger to leave my apartment, almost entirely fuss free (although I'm sure if Ranger rolled his eyes he would have been), complete with vague promises of phone calls between hot kisses and wandering hands I debated my day. If I went straight to the office, which I should if I wanted to make rent this month, I would be instantly interrogated about who I slept with last by Connie & Lula. Don't ask me how, but everyone can tell when I've gotten laid, it's embarrassing on a normal day, but in this particular case it would be downright exhausting. Can you imagine attempting to dodge detailed questions about Batman's measurements from a former 'ho in blinding neon and a Betty Boop look a like, both in rhino modes? Scary, I know. There was no way in hell I could convince them a new shower massager was the cause of the already constant silly grin on my face.

My only other option would be to find Willie Woodcock and conduct some payback for my dead car. I instantly decided on that option, figuring I could blame my perma-smile on catching the bastard and hopefully side-step the conversation of my love life. Yup, sounds like the perfect plan to me.

I showered, smirking at the shower massager that I didn't need, and quickly did the hair and make-up thing. I dressed in my usual jeans and a t-shirt, donning sneakers in case I had to chase anyone down (although the soreness I was experiencing from my night with Zorro made me hope I wouldn't have to attempt that feat) and popped a grape in Rex's aquarium on my way out the door. It wasn't until I got to the parking lot that my D-day Orgasm good mood was slightly dimmed by the sight of Big Blue. I sighed dejectedly… until I spotted a black Porsche Cayenne sitting in the back of the lot a couple spots away from the monstrosity that was Big Blue. More specifically, _Ranger's_ Porsche Cayenne.

I stared dumbly for five whole minutes going through the realization process.

There was no one inside, and if I had had a Merry Man assigned to me they wouldn't have left their post in fear of Ranger's wrath (or be trusted with Ranger's personal Porsche for that matter), so I crossed off that option.

The second option would be that maybe I had bypassed Ranger on the way down, since he tended to take the stairs while I opted for the elevator. I shot a look over my shoulder and, not seeing Batman breeze through the doors, crossed that one off my list.

The third option of course is that somehow, or for some reason, Ranger got picked up this morning instead of leaving in his own vehicle. This would only make sense if he was on the way to a stake-out, not a meeting at his offices which had been the case this morning.

Hmmm… I pulled out my cell phone and hit speed dial one, not letting the Cayenne out of my sight just in case a fly happened to land on the pristine wax coat and I was forced to retaliate.

"Miss me already?" Ranger answered. Wow, Ranger humor. It didn't dawn on me until that instant that I might have just interrupted his meeting.

"Omigod, I'm sorry… I forgot all about your meeting! It was nothing-"

"Babe, you didn't interrupt. What's up?" he sounded amused again and all my guilt dissipated.

"I was wondering why your Porsche is in my lot… did you somehow manage to use your superhero powers to drive 2 cars at once?" There was a beat of silence and I could hear Ranger's smile. I swear.

"I had Tank pick me up; I figured you'd prefer the Cayenne to Big Blue. The keys are in your purse." Oh, boy.

"Ranger…" I started, already starting to hyperventilate. I really couldn't live with myself if I managed to kill another one of Ranger's cars.

"Babe, it's just a car. Drive it." And he hung up. I debated for another couple of minutes before deciding Ranger would be even more upset if I didn't follow a direct order. I know, I know, I'm deluding myself… but I'm pretty damn good at it so why fight it. I bit back a moan at the combination of the smooth, powerful rumble of the engine cranked to life under the supple leather seats. Now all I had to do was keep Willie Woodcock away from this car until he was incapacitated with handcuffs and I'll consider the day a success.

 

3 hours later Willie Woodcock was back behind bars where he belonged, I had avoided seeing Joe, and I had a little more money towards my rent. He had been a surprisingly easy capture thanks to all the liquor he had consumed in celebration of escaping me (with bonus points of blowing up my car) and had been passed out, dead to the world. Add to that the fact that I was driving around in a hot Porsche and I had lost count of all the orgasms I had experienced last night and my life equaled to the 'not much can get better than this' point. I was pointedly ignoring the fact that he had threatened me in detail after waking up while being dragged down his front steps and across his lawn. I was only going to focus on the happy… my glass was definitely half full today. A night full of Ranger orgasms is obviously better than Prozac.

Speak of the devil, I thought, hearing the Batman ring tone fill the Ranger-Zen interior of the Cayenne.

"Miss me already?" I purred, imitating him from earlier. All this happy (or all the Porsche leather I'd been in contact with) was making me feel sexy and flirty. Amazing what a Porsche can do for you.

"Babe." That was a yes. "Have dinner with me tonight?" I smiled at the question that was half order.

"Since you asked so nicely… where at? 7th floor Ella special?" Jesus, I was in a sad state… just talking to him on the phone had my insides liquefied and the stupid shit-eating grin on my face doubled in size. I knew a relationship with the Wizard would be scary stuff and had major potential to shatter my heart into a thousand pieces… but this is a bit ridiculous. People are going to start thinking I'm doing more than just watching _I Dream of Jeannie_ re-runs with Mooner if this keeps up.

"I was thinking more like Rossini's." Well that got my attention. Batman, me, date, in public… good Lord, I think I just had a hot flash. It was so unexpected, in a surprisingly pleasant way, that it made me wonder how it was he knew me so damn well… I hadn't even realized I would love the idea so much until he said the words. An actual date with Ranger made the talk, the feelings, the sex, everything… _real_.

"I'd love to." If I sounded breathless, well, I didn't care because I couldn't help it. I _was_ breathless.

"I'll pick you up at 7… and maybe I'll get Ella to prepare something just for you and we can have dessert on the 7th."

Oh boy, judging from the silky tone Ranger had used I _knew_ his thoughts were in perfect harmony with mine right now. I shifted in the seat of my car, feeling the wet heat that had pooled at my core in instant anticipation as my head filled with erotic images of Ranger's mocha skin and strategically placed dollops of chocolate mousse. I mentally moaned in impatience for 7 o'clock.

"Babe." Ranger's voice sounded strained… I guess the moan hadn't been mental. I cleared my throat.

"Yea, 7…" I tried to swallow over the dryness that had appeared in my throat. "I gotta go, see you later, bye." I hastily snapped the phone shut feeling flustered, and then feeling embarrassment at feeling flustered. I actually fanned my face with my hands, mainly just to give my hand something to do as I calmed myself down enough to drive and not zone into naked Ranger daydreams. The Batman theme song broke me from recovery and only in that instant did I realize that I had hung up on Ranger. Uh-oh. I slowly reached for the phone as if it were an alligator poised to bite my hand off, and opened it, placing it next to my ear.

"Babe…you hung up on me." Ranger's voice was soft, but surprisingly still with a hint of seductiveness laced through it. "Were _that_ hot & bothered… or are you curious about what kind of _payback_ I'll give you?"

I think I stopped breathing. Images instantly assailed by mind that made dessert time seem tame… which, oh boy, made me think of the two situations at the same time. I tried to bite back a moan as ideas of chocolate, handcuffs and being taken by Ranger played out in my imagination. I think started panting.

Was he _trying_ to give me an orgasm over the phone by letting my imagination run wild?? Because he was certainly doing a damned good job of it so far.

"I'd prefer to give you an orgasm when I can watch the ecstasy take over your features, see you bite your bottom lip as you try to hold back your screams or see your eyes turn smoky with desire…" Oh God, I'd said that out loud… and oh God the sound of his silken voice… "So why don't you go home and start getting ready before I'm tempted to come find you and finish the job in person in front of the Police station."

By the time I'd recovered enough to speak he had hung up and I was staring at the dead phone in my hands. Jesus, I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so turned on. I hastily turned the key in the ignition and put the car in gear, shifting uncomfortably in my seat as I tried to regulate my breathing that had become erratic at some point. At least I wouldn't have to brave the office in this state, I'd never get out alive, and I have more important things to do.

I had a date to get ready for.


	4. Dinner & A Show

Big thanks to everyone who sent suggestions and props... I appreciate! If it weren't for you guys this would have never made it past a one-shot, let me know what you think.  
This Ch. is a bit long, simply because I couldn't deny you the smut. Enjoy...

WARNING... SLIPPERY SMUT AHEAD!

* * *

At 20 minutes 'till 7 o'clock I was clean, shaved, exfoliated, lotioned, fingernails & toenails painted, coiffure curled, had my face on (complete with 4 coats of mascara), and was dressed to kill in a classically sexy little black dress… and I was pacing my living room like a caged lioness in heat. I was equal parts terrified, excited, and horny as all hell… the result was a bundle of nerves complete with hot flashes and shivers of pleasure, and to top it off I now had time to let my imagination roam again. I had pointedly ignored the shower massager earlier, despite needing a release desperately, and since my phone conversation (if you could really call it that), I had been attempting not to allow my thoughts to shoot straight to dessert. I wanted to be able to savor the actual date and dinner with Ranger too, even though he (and my rampaging Hungarian hormones) had made that nearly impossible. My feet halted as the enormity of the situation hit me. I collapsed onto my couch.

I was going on a date… with _Ranger_. Batman, Wizard, Zorro, Man of Mystery, Ricardo Carlos Mañoso… on a date… with me.

I mean, sure, we had been to dinner before, hell, even to Rossini's before… but this was different. So different, in fact, that it was rapidly scaring the shit out of me. I reminded myself that this is what I wanted, and I shouldn't even really be surprised at Ranger's swift move into what would be commonly referred to as an almost _normal_ relationship because I knew when Ranger decided something he moved forward with the plan right away. I could just picture him plotting out tonight's activities as he would plot out a distraction take down.

The thought was reassuring, and made the stupid grin pop back onto my face - obviously, Ranger had no qualms about taking our relationship to a new level. I was still reclining on the plush cushions, staring into space with the idiot grin on my face as I thought about _all_ the different parts that made up Ranger (and not just the certain parts of his anatomy I would be licking dessert from later); when I heard my locks tumble.

The damned grin got even bigger.

I stayed put, waiting until I would be able to watch his eyes slide up my length as he took in my outfit. I craved the rush I would get simply by the look in his eyes like I would crave a drug… the man had always been my worst addiction.

Ranger slid into view, locking eyes with me instantly and I took a moment to look him over. Like usual, he exceeded expectations, dressed impeccably in black slacks and matching black button up sans tie with the top few buttons undone, a lock of black falling across his forehead, and a diamond stud winking from his ear. He was the perfect combination of raw, sexual, barely contained power… and he was all mine. My eyes drifted to his and saw blatant lust with a hint of smugness that meant he knew exactly what I had been thinking.

Intent on returning the favor I slowly uncrossed my legs and managed to slither seductively out of my seat, facing him as I stood. I watched as his eyes started at my black FMPs, taking in the black ribbon that tied around the base of my ankle and turned into a bow at my heel, before heatedly trailing the length of bare leg the dress revealed. His eyes were two smoldering coals of heat by the time they reached the hem of my dress at mid thigh and I smiled as he heatedly devoured my curves the dress seductively clung to, as it ingeniously fell from the spaghetti straps. His eyes paused at my breasts and I knew the moment he realized I wasn't wearing a bra because the electricity in the room tripled. If I hadn't been so hot for him I would have smirked, but as it was I was having a hard time not abandoning our date and launching myself at his body so I could ride him on my living room floor.

I knew, not five minutes into the date that the entire night was going to be filled to the brim with sexual tension and unspoken promises of pleasures to come. If I managed to make it through dinner without spontaneously combusting, I made a promise to myself to have extra dessert. Before working off the calories in the only form of exercise I consider acceptable.

"Babe." I did manage a small smirk at Ranger's clearly strained voice.

"Like my dress… I got it _just for you_ earlier today…" I sauntered over to him, angled my face to give him t he softest brushes of lips before walking past him to the counter for my sparkly black clutch I had packed with essentials earlier.

"Babe, you're playing with fire." Apparently, Ranger had caught sight of the back of the dress… or I should say lack of material on the back of the dress. The dress from the front, besides the sneaky way it hugged curves, was tame, but what made it sexy as hell was that it had absolutely no back. Before I could turn my head to look seductively over my shoulder and ask about reservations… which is what I _meant_ to do…he was behind me, fingers digging into my hips and mouth on my neck directly below my ear. My breath caught in my throat and my entire body broke out in tingles. "If we didn't have reservations I'd keep you here a little longer and make you burn." He murmured against my neck between hot, open-mouthed kisses that efficiently drew a tortured moan from my lips. One large hand slid up my ribcage, covering my right breast with his palm, massaging and thumbing my erect nipple. Did he not realize I was already suffering from 2nd degree burns here?? Obviously not, because in the next instant the feeling of his warm, hard body had disappeared from where it had been molded against my back and he was tugging me towards my door. Damn him. The man has more control than is good for him, I realized.

The car ride, in the Turbo (which almost gave me an orgasm on its own when it rumbled to life), was predictably quiet and crackling with so much sexual tension it was almost a relief when arrived at the restaurant. My thoughts were going places they had never been before.

Saturday night at Rossini's was always packed, full of people on dates and singles mingling hoping to get a date (or laid), but I wasn't surprised that Ranger had finagled us a table… he _always_ got what he wanted.

I noticed, draped on Ranger's arm, that even the cockiest looking men sitting in the bar averted their eyes when we made our way through. I smiled, knowing if I had been alone I would have had to put up with crude comments and lame pick up lines, but not under Batman's protection. Hell, even knowing he wouldn't hurt a hair on my head, I've been scared of the ferocious power he exudes… closely followed by a hot pool of desire between my legs.

I know it's probably some sort of distinctive Italian gene in me, but that is one of the things I have always loved about being associated with Ranger… he's practically the equivalent to a mob boss, and it is sexy as all hell. The automatic protection and respect that came hand in hand with being connected with him was a turn on that's hard to explain. I felt like the woman from the movie _Goodfellas_ when she admits, after Ray Liotta had beat the crap out of a guy for trying to rape her, that she had been turned on by it. It's hard to describe, hard to understand the workings of, but its there. He had always protected me, no matter what… and I knew he always would, no matter what.

We passed by a man at the bar who was obviously in the midst of a mid-life crisis (not to mention a bottle of Jack) who, perhaps not seeing Ranger leading me in his drunken haze, stupidly whistled somewhere in the direction of my legs and paired it with a come hither "Hey Baby…" invitation. Yeah right.

I felt Ranger's hand tighten on mine as pulled me closer, shooting the man a death glare that almost knocked him off his bar stool and I had to bite back a laugh. I had always known he would be a protective, possessive man in a relationship, and I could almost feel the 'MINE' stamp being emblazoned across my ass as we made our way through the rest of the crowded bar. Shit, this was going to be all over the 'Burg before I even sat down at our table.

 

Before our entrees had even appeared (and through 2 glasses of wine I had downed) I had forgotten all about the 'Burg's gossip mill and the implications of going out in public (i.e. being openly branded as Ranger's) in lieu of experiencing being the center of Ranger's interest. He was still aware of his surroundings (duh), but it didn't diminish the sensation of having the full power of his attention solely on me. It was his usual distinguishing level of intensity, which put me in a state quite easily on its own, times ten… the effect was completely indescribable. Our chairs were placed close enough for him to have his arm draped across the back of my chair and he was slowly driving me crazy with soft caresses on my neck, shoulders, and the occasional journey through my curls. So crazy in fact, that I didn't even notice when my chicken fettuccini was placed in front of me because I was actually (unbelievably) absorbed in a conversation with _Ranger_. We weren't having an indepth, serious discussion or anything, just normal everyday talk of business (new potential clients/skips) and gossip (Tank's musings of an engagement ring purchase)… but it was captivatingly perfect.

"Aren't you hungry Babe?" he had bowed his head near my ear and I shivered.

He had _no_ idea just how hungry I was… just not for food, I thought as I looked into his eyes. On the other hand, judging from the sparks shooting from the brown depths, maybe he did. I smiled sweetly, gaining courage from the strong red wine in my veins, running my hand up and down his thigh lightly and was rewarded with his sharp intake of breath. With my right hand I swirled my pasta around to make it look as if I'd picked at it, repeating the process with Ranger' s salad before waving down the waiter as he passed by. We needed to-go boxes and our check.

I felt his body tighten under mine and as soon as the waiter left our table I felt his breath on my neck.

"Babe, you read my mind." Christ, my panties are _so_ ruined and we hadn't even gotten through dinner. The man was seriously dangerous.

"I'm improving on my ESP skills." I replied, once I could breathe again.

The waiter, either from my look of desperation or from the man in black seated at the table with me, had our to-go boxes and our check back within five minutes, and Ranger practically carried me through the crowds and into the cooling night air. Before the door had even shut behind us, Ranger had shoved me into the surrounding alley and up against brick wall, plastering his body against the front of me as his mouth conquered mine. One of us moaned as our tongues tangled frantically, and I immediately responded by rocking my hips into his desperately as the world around us completely ceased to exist. In an instant, we were wrapped in a universe of our own making and nothing existed but the two of us and the tangible passion that lived between us.

I'm not sure how long we stayed there, but at some point Ranger pulled back slightly breathing heavily and making an obvious attempt to cool the situation down. I realized one of my legs had somehow wound itself around his waist and I slowly let it fall back down to earth as my head slowly started to clear.

"We need to get to Haywood… _now_." Ranger gritted, pulling back even more and re-adjusting the front of his pants that had gained an impressive bulge. I nodded, still not able to form words, as he pulled me towards the Turbo and almost shoved me inside the passenger seat as he jumped through the driver's side door. The car roared to life and without a conscious thought I slid my upper half across the console, undid Ranger's pants, confirmed the commando thought that had been circling in my mind, and without a single word or look, gripped hard and lowered my head. I swirled my tongue in a soft, teasing circle around his tip, releasing a groaned "Babe" from Ranger as his hand buried itself my curls roughly. That was all it took for me to feel powerful enough to banish any shyness about something I had never done before and, remembering his tinted windows, scooted closer so my knees now on the seat, as I took as much of him as I could fit. I had one hand slowly moving up and down the length that wouldn't fit in my mouth and the other I slithered further into his pants, massaging his boys. I can't explain how hot it made me, how turned I was, just from his responses… he was the epitome of strong and dominant and I had him cursing and urging. I felt the hand that had tangled in my curls travel down my exposed spine in a rough trail that curved around the curve of my bottom, gripping the dress up so it was bunched around my hips as he fingered my miniscule black lace v-string. I had been taking a detached pleasure in the feel of his hands on my skin, absorbed in the sounds and taste of him, when I suddenly felt his fingers enter me from behind. The surprised groan that escaped from deep in my throat was clogged by his girth and he must have felt the rumble because he emitted a curse in Spanish and I thought I felt the car speed up before slowing down to a stop. His fingers continued to slam into me, urging my mouth into a new frantic pace as I continued to groan around him.

"_Christ, Babe_…" I heard, knowing exactly what he meant, before a flick of his fingers sent me flying, followed immediately by his body pumping into the back of my throat.

I sucked him dry, his fingers still idly rubbing my throbbing core, when I was suddenly plucked up and slammed onto Ranger's lap, steering wheel at my back, straddling his legs as he commandeered my mouth in a bruising kiss. He pulled back a moment later, placing his forehead against mine as we both attempted to regain normal breaths.

"Babe."

"I know." I responded, and trust me… I did.

"We still have desert." I looked to my right, wondering where he had pulled off at and hoping it wasn't too far away from Haywood, when I saw we were on the same street and almost to the garage. Perfect.

Ranger placed me back in my seat, buttoned himself back up, put the car in gear and pulled into the Rangeman garage. We had a long night ahead of us.


	5. Who Needs Dessert When You Have Batman?

Sorry it took me a while, life interferred and my muse was not really in the mood, so I hope this turned out at least _okay_.  
This whole chapter (and MAYBE even next...you'll see what I mean) is nothing but R/S smut, smut and more smut. You've been warned. I'll try and get the next ch. soon.

Usual disclaimers and crap...

* * *

"Babe, I'll never be able to drive the Turbo again and not remember that." Ranger 's voice was like smooth aged whiskey washing over my skin as his body pinned me against the wall of the elevator that would take us to the seventh floor. His hands hadn't left my hips, or any part of my body actually, since we'd parked and he leaned fully into me now.

"That makes two of us… I don't know what I was thinking; I've never done anything like that before." I was talking more to myself than to him, but when I felt his hands tighten almost painfully on my hip bones as I felt a hard twitch against my belly I realized I had spoken that bit of information out loud. Obviously, he enjoyed the confession of being my first at something.

"There's a first time for everything…" he murmured seductively in my ear and I felt shivers wrack my body in anticipation, feeling his length grow against me.

"Broadening my horizons again?" I couldn't believe that husky voice belonged to me, was the only conscious thought I could manage before his lips crashed down onto mine. He spoke with his tongue, not holding back any of his desire or adulation as our lips slid and tongues danced. Just like in the alley, the world around us simply ceased to exist, and any inhibitions or doubts simply disappeared along with it. Being around him was being in a constant state of arousal… and for once I was able to act on it. Thank God for the camera scrambler, because one hot kiss had caused the desire to feel him buried inside of me, completely capturing my body and thoughts with the single-mindedness to achieve that single goal.

I reached for the button of his slacks and had just popped it through the opening when the doors dinged open to reveal the penthouse foyer, making me jump in surprise. I had barely comprehended the interruption before I was being dragged behind Ranger, dazedly watching him push open his door with force before I was being shoved in front of him through the opening. Then, just as suddenly, I was in his arms, his mouth hot and demanding on mine. He lifted my feet off the floor and I wrapped my legs around his waist instantly as he walked us towards his bed, his hands roaming deliciously over the curve of my ass and up my sides, lighting fires on my already scorching body. I moaned into his mouth as he laid us down on the bed, his weight encasing me, making me feel content and yet needy for more at the same time.

Just as I was realizing that there are only two things that felt better than Ranger's weight pushing me into a soft mattress with even softer sheets (both also regarding Ranger and a bed), I felt the coolness of open air and snapped my eyes open. Ranger stood at the foot of his bed, watching me intently with that distinct mixture in his eyes of love and lust that never failed to turn my insides to jelly. I leaned up on my elbows and running my eyes appreciatively over his length, taking my time to value the unrivaled perfection of his body.

"I've dreamed of having you like this in my bed, Babe."

God, if his voice got any lower I'd have an orgasm from the timber alone! Not even considering the fact that Batman just admitted he dreamed about me, giving me a surge of confidence, with the knowledge that he wants me just as much as I want him. I pushed myself to a sitting position directly in front of him, putting his zipper at my eye level, shooting looks at his face below my eyelashes.

"And what did we _do_ in these dreams of yours?" I asked with an innocent voice as my hands flicked the button of his slacks open for the second time that night. Ranger didn't respond except for something that resembled a growl, as I continued relieving him of his clothing, deliberately pulling his zipper down slowly. It wasn't until my hands came to his hips, caressing as they pushed the material down that I suddenly found myself flat on my back, dazedly watching as Ranger tore off his shirt and blanketed my body with his skin in the next instant.

"I'll show you." He finally answered before his lips crashed onto mine, his tongue sweeping and sucking in demand. I couldn't hold back a breathless moan when his lips left to trail a hot, constant path down my jawline and the cord of my neck, taking time to explore crevices. How he used his mouth was the thing I had _always_ remembered about Ranger, and right now he was acting as if he had been watching, storing up spots he had wanted to taste on my body. I didn't feel my dress being removed, only recognizing it had been when I felt his tongue dart out to entice my now bare nipple.

Just like that, as Ranger used a combination of lips, tongue and hands on what seemed like every inch of my body (except where I _really_ needed him), my brain fried. I'm pretty sure I started begging and pleading and moaning incoherently, but he didn't stop the torturous assault. Finally, when I felt his mouth over the thin scrap of lace VS called panties, I lost my patience.

"I need to feel you inside of me… _now_, Ranger."

His hands tightened and a purely guttural sound escaped from his chest as his hands gripped the thong and I heard a telltale ripping noise that signified the end of Ranger's control. Before I could draw a breath, he had stretched his body over mine and was slammed fully inside of me, drawing a harmonized moan from our lips as we stilled, savoring the feeling of being so connected.

My eyes fluttered open, amazed at the utter ecstasy I saw etched on his face so close to mine and it sparked a sudden craving to simply be _taken_ by this powerful man I loved so much. I'm not sure what it was, either the experience of a date with Dressy-Yum-Ranger or the eroticism of the car ride home or the combination of both, but I wanted hard, jarring, rough, primal, _sex_.

I brought my legs up, wrapping them around his waist and digging the heel of the FMPs I still wore into his firm ass. I heard him mutter what sounded like curses in Spanish as he slowly withdrew only to slam as hard as he could into me again.

I think I screamed. There was something to be said about having sex with someone who had ESP.

"Do you like that Babe?" he asked in response to my whimper as he pulled out only to thrust himself deep inside again.

"Oh God, yes!" Ranger ran his hands down my arms, sinking back onto his knees more that provided us with space between our bodies, and brought them above my head, securing them with one of his hands. I arched into him impatiently, but his free hand gripped my waist to still my efforts. He nudged his hips only slightly, giving me the smallest taste of pleasure as his hand slid down my leg, pulling it up higher so that they were now locked tightly around his lower back, effectively tilting my pelvic bone towards him. The new position buried him deeper and I arched into him again greedily at the sensation before he retreated almost completely, causing me to whimper at the loss. He paused with only the tip of his head inside of my opening, our eyes locked and there was only raw emotion that sizzled between us, fueling the fire we had started.

In the next moment he thrust himself so hard and deep inside of me my eyes rolled back in my head. I met him with an almost violent need, reveling at the strength of his body between my thighs that was restraining me as he slammed into me again and again in total domination. I was helpless to do anything but meet his ardor with my own using only my hips and urging him on desperately with moaned pleas and uninhibited writing, as he fully took me in every sense of the word.

He was claiming me completely – heart, body, and soul in the most primitive, raw, direct, _genuine_ way. His beautiful eyes, watching my body bounce and thrash under his ministrations, were branding me as his.

His hands released mine as the pace turned frantic and my nails instantly scored his skin as his tangled in my curls, gripping roughly as his mouth crashed onto mine, never losing the frantic tempo our bodies demanded.

I felt one hand roughly tugging my hair until it hurt, as his other traveled down my body, grabbing, pinching my bouncing nipples and I again felt the border between intense pleasure and pain. I realized each sting was inexplicably bringing me closer to climax, making me shiver with sheer eroticism of it. Suddenly, Ranger was unbelievably pounding into me even harder and at the same time teasing my swollen nub, shoving me forcefully over the edge. I came with an intensity that felt as if my entire body had just been singed with 4th of July sparklers, watching fireworks explode behind my eyelids as shudders wracked my bones. I vaguely heard Ranger's shout as he followed behind me, but couldn't seem to open my eyes just yet.

I did mange a dreamy smile as I felt his body collapse onto mine, nuzzling his face in my neck and giving me chills with his hot, rapid breaths on my sensitive skin.

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, and I'm pretty sure I dozed off into lala land to recover, but I was brought back to reality when Ranger rolled us so that I was now sprawled over him.

"We still have dessert." He whispered in my ear and I felt a zing go straight to my do-dah.


	6. A Chocolate Covered Batman Please

Not that it'll be a surprise, I'm sure, but this chapter is a whole bunch of smutty chocolate fun... so there's your warning. Enjoy... hopefully my muse was a little more cooperative this time... lemme know.  
:D

P.S. Usual Disclaimers and crap... ya'll know the drill.

* * *

"Real dessert… not organic tofu yogurt with fruit?" I asked suspiciously after getting my body under a semblance of control. Although, in my current position I might even consider eating _that_ if I was able to use Ranger's mocha skin as a plate. Yum.

"Babe." I looked up to Ranger's smirk and knew either I was talking out loud again or the ESP was tuned in. "I'm sure Ella left you something full of calories… but I'll remember that in the future when I try and convince you to eat healthier."

I scowled, but before I could make a snappy comeback or storm off the bed with my Italian temper in gear, he smiled gently at me, reaching up and tucking a curl behind my ear with such tenderness my heart clenched.

"You wait here and stay comfortable; I'll bring dessert to you."

Damn the man, not only for being a Cuban Sex God and the definition of sex on legs… but he had to be sweet too.

Precisely the reason I had been so scared of my feelings for him the in the past, I reasoned, as I watched him roll off the bed and stride gloriously naked, and completely at ease in his nude state, towards the kitchen. He could seriously break my heart. Had I experienced tonight with anyone else, not that I could imagine anyone else making me respond with the same abandoned ardor, I would have felt trashy, but nothing could affect the level of love that permeated the air around Ranger and I. The lack of inhibition I felt with him, the way I could do the first thing that popped into my head, was shocking but felt inexplicably _right_. Scary, but true, and despite my reservations and the nagging voice in my head that sounded suspiciously like my mother, I was going to enjoy whatever we had, for however long it lasted. And, I promised myself, I wasn't going to freak out when Ranger sat us down for our 'talk'… too much anyway. I needed to know what he was feeling about all this; I needed to prepare myself… no matter what.

With that new resolve, I leaned back on his divine sheets and waited to be served dessert after being deliciously used on thousand count sheets; in other words, I was going to enjoy my slice of heaven and take full advantage.

I felt the bed dip down beside me and let my lips slide into a smile, but didn't open my eyes. I felt the pad of his finger run the length of my lips any my curiosity demanded I taste, forcing my tongue out to trace the trail he had made with his fingertip. I wasn't disappointed; my taste buds determined it was a whipped, light, chocolate mousse. I must have moaned because I immediately felt Ranger's lips bruising my own, somehow magically making the sheet I had covering myself disappear. He pulled back slightly and I opened my eyes only to drown in the chocolate pools of Rangers' as he dipped a finger back in the mousse, running it the length of lips again. This time I think we both might have moaned as Ranger's lips met with my tongue to taste the whipped chocolate. When he pulled away again I didn't open my eyes back up, wanting to do nothing but drown in the _feelings_ of his touch. Again, I wasn't disappointed; feeling a sudden cold wetness coat my pebbled nipple before the heat of Ranger's mouth descended on it, suckling it clean. Oh Lord, Can tingles _throb_? He repeated the process on the other breast, but I still didn't open my eyes, sinking into the sensations he wrought with simply his tongue and hands that were flitting over my skin. His journey of dessert trailed down my torso, painstakingly removing every last bit at each location and making me writhe with need by the time he got where I really wanted him. He paused, but I was beyond being patient in my state.

"Ranger…" My tone was a mixture of demand, pleading, warning and a whole helluva lot of _want_ as I met his eyes. His eyes blazed, locked with mine, as I watched him take two fingers full of mousse and smear it like a painter with a paintbrush over my sex. I bit my lip at the shock of something so cold smothering the hottest part of my body as I watched his head lower, darting his tongue out to quickly swipe at my throbbing nub. Before I could finish my satisfied moan he had moved on, gliding his tongue through my folds that were drenched with a mixture of my own juices and melting chocolate, dipping, twirling his tongue into me sporadically, and keeping me crazy with want. Each suck, each nibble, each flick of his tongue gymnastics was bringing me that much closer to the precipice, but I held back. I wanted the control, I wanted him stretched out while I was allowed to explore his body as I wanted… and damn it I wanted some chocolate mousse. I reached down, threaded my fingers through his tresses and tugged, none to gently.

"Come here." I managed to breath out in demand when he simply looked at me, head slightly cocked. Yeah, I could agree with his confusion, because I was almost second guessing my decision after feeling the absence of his mouth. "My turn." He still paused, giving one more languidly delicious kiss with our eyes still locked erotically, before prowling his way back towards my head. His mouth overtook my own, letting me taste myself and chocolate as he proved the strength of his desires matched the strength in his body. I pushed on his chest, using my body to roll us so that I was stretched out on his body, feeling certain parts of our bodies erotically stick together from leftover dessert. I slithered into a sitting position, using his rock hard abs as a seat as I leaned over and whipped a dollop of chocolate mousse onto my finger, looking his body over, considering. I had obviously been ogling too long because the mousse started to drip, splattering little spots on Ranger's chest, and sliding down my fingers. I shrugged, slowly licked my finger clean, smirking at the sound of Ranger's growl, before I eyed the mess I had made on his upper body.

I hadn't thought chocolate mousse could be improved upon, but my imagination obviously hadn't gone as far as to picture it served on hard, warm, mocha, perfect skin. I held my body above his, perched on my hands that were on either side of his head so that my hard nipples grazed his chest, shooting tingles through my body. My lips lowered, finding the chocolate on the bulges of his pecs with my tongue and toured the mountains of his torso to lick and suck him clean.

I trailed up the hollows of his neck, nibbling enticingly on his bottom lip and I felt his hips buck in an attempt to finish my teases and sheath himself deep inside of me. I immediately pulled my body back, letting him know without words that I was in charge. I smiled devilishly at the anguished groan that barreled from his chest. I brought myself down, once a gain rubbing against him evasively, strategically and suckling his tongue into my mouth.

Only after I could feel his restlessness coming close to the breaking point did I lean back up and arch my hips, circling only his head through my opening. The torturous groan was mutual. I felt him slowly roll his hips into mine, but pulled back again so that the ridge/lip of his head was sliding against my tightness. The shiver the sensation caused went straight through my body straight into his… so I did it again, watching the desire and struggle to remain passive war in Ranger's eyes. This time when I leaned my lips down to mate I used my entire body to tease all at once; my nipples grazed, my mouth suckled, my hips circled and arched around his head to create an erotic dance almost mimicking my mouth. His hands, which had been clutching the bed sheets in an attempt to hold control, unleashed their magic as they grasped my skin and threaded through my curls. His mouth caught my moan as one calloused palm trailed hotly down my spine, using his strength to impale me as he thrust up with force. My breath abandoned my body at the intrusion and I involuntarily ground myself against him shamelessly. Ranger let out a heartfelt groan as I sat up to straddle his groin, but allowed (and yes I mean _allow_, because we both knew he could overpower me in an instant) me to pace my movements as I wanted. From the molten look in his eye, I'd have to say he'd _allow_ me to take control anytime I wanted.

Good to know.

I took my time, gliding my body up and down in an achingly slow pace, rolling my hips, and experimenting with my new position. I leaned forward to duel tongues before leaning as far back as I could, taking advantage of the hard mocha bulges I encountered with each new position; scoring his chest, shoulders, abs, thighs, and hands in fits of uncontrollable pleasure induced spasms with my nails. I reached behind me, cupping the weight of Ranger's boys and massaging as I continued to ride him at a pace fast enough to pleasure but slow enough not to allow either of us to crest.

"Babe… mi dios." His hands clutched onto my hips as he groaned the words and in the next instant Ranger was propelling me up and down over him, smacking our slick skin together in an explosion of action. My body arched, my head fell back, my hands tangled in my hair and I could feel my breasts bouncing with each pounding thrust as we flew towards the pinnacle of pleasure. The searing heat in my body spread and then I was shattering from the force of it, my entire body shuddering and clenching around him, forcing him to follow. I felt Ranger's body pulsate from deep inside of me, heard a groan escape from his clenched teeth as his grip tightened and felt his body quake beneath me before I collapsed boneless over him.

He gathered me closer, still buried deep, and the last coherent thought I had before exhaustion took over was that I doubted I could _ever_ get enough of this man.


	7. And Then I Woke Up

Sorry it took me a while, I don't even have a good excuse, except for my WIP and the deadline I had given myself. sigh Hope you enjoy... Mia

P.S. Usual Disclaimers... Blah Blah Blah... Trust me, you'll know when I start making off of writing because I'll be telling everyone I meet. Until then...

* * *

I could hear Ranger let out a tortured moan as I bit into the luscious strawberry he was holding to my mouth as I allowed the juices to spread across my lips, my eyes closed in ecstasy. I didn't think any strawberry in the history of the world had _ever_ tasted this good. The cold fruit slid down my parched throat caused by the persistent heat of the sun that beat down on the endless and wonderfully deserted beach. His lips replaced the fruit, devouring my mouth as our passions battled, tinged with strawberry flavor. Our bodies, already nude and damp from the heat of the sun, fused as one, desperately seeking release. Strong hands grazed, almost too lightly causing a tickling sensation in the midst of the passion. My body arched closer, hoping to convey my lack of humor in the current situation by forcing him to hopefully lose control and become rougher. I felt as if the sun was simply making my body even more crazed and hot than usual for him and he was tickling, damnit.

I swiped irritably at the tickling hands that were grazing bits of exposed skin again, forcing my body to slowly surface, and as the beach slowly faded I realized it had been a dream. I swatted again in pure annoyance now; did this person not understand the merits of enjoying great dreams? I turned my head away in a sleepy huff to snuggle further into my hard pillow.

Wait, hard pillow… I don't have a hard pillow, I have a soft pillow… one that isn't warm… and my pillowcase doesn't smell like Bulgari… well, okay, occasionally it smells like Bulgari, but only after I have a moment of weakness that involves the small bottle I bought myself and my shower massager.

My eyes open to tiny slits, proving that I was definitely using Ranger as a pillow, and quite suddenly the previous night's activities came flooding back. I closed my eyes again, reliving sections of last night mixed with my interrupted dream, smiling as I lost myself in the images and forgetting that someone had been trying to wake me up to begin with.

"Babe… I know you're awake."

Uh huh… awake and ready to make my dream a reality.

"Mousse?" I asked without opening my eyes and was rewarded with the rumbling of Ranger's laughter. "Or strawberries?"

"Are you actually asking me to get you _fruit_?"

"MmmHmm… only if you're feeding them to me on a deserted beach."

"Deserted beach huh? Did this deserted beach have real strawberries or the pleasure treasures kind that you were so fond of?"

I didn't have to see his face to know he had an eyebrow raised in intrigue and his eyes had turned into molten chocolate pools (perfect for dipping strawberries in… hmmmm). I don't know if it was the idea of my dream, the pleasure treasures memory or maybe a few moans I let slip out as I fantasized, but in the next instant Ranger had me flat on my back melting our bodies into one and simultaneously making sure I felt every inch of his solid body. Even in its tattered state my wanton body responded instantly. Unfortunately, it also responded instantly when the high-pitched ringing of his cell phone made me jump and made Ranger's heat instantly cool with control.

_Note to self: Next time I have a fantasy of a deserted beach I need to make sure all ringers are off._

Damn, speaking of ringing phones, I was going to have to turn mine back on at some point soon. I had no doubt about the gossip that had erupted because of last night, which meant I would have a voicemail from every single one of my 'Burg acquaintances. Including, unfortunately, my mother. I tuned Ranger's monosyllabic conversation out, knowing it was Tank and work related and headed to my purse, that had _somehow_ ended up on the floor by the front door, and grabbed my phone.

Thank God I had had the insight to shut it off before Ranger had picked me up (even if it _had_ been for more seductive reasons rather than practical). My phone powered on and I waited for the alert that would let me know exactly how screwed I was…and when the pop up stated _'23 new voicemails'_ I lost the ability to stand, collapsing with a thump on the floor where I stood.

"Oh God!" I groaned as I buried my face into my arms in an attempt to block out the inevitable onslaught. "I'm never getting Pineapple Upside Down cake for the rest of my life!"

"Babe?" I hadn't realized he had finished his phone conversation or that he had come into the room, but upon hearing his voice I came to the realization that if he wasn't so damned hot and protective I wouldn't be in this situation. I scowled, head still buried, as I hit the button to play the messages.

"You practically stamped the word 'mine' across my ass at Rossini's in front of the 'Burg! I have 23 new voicemails and I turned my phone off at 6:30!" I yelled into my arms as Lula's voice drifted over the earpiece asking why I hadn't shown my white ass in the office and if it had anything to do with Batman's car being parked in my lot overnight. _Great_…I don't even _want_ to know how she knew that piece of information. My mother followed, using my full name and asking me why I was out with that army man who dresses in black and scares the neighbors instead of Joseph. The next one was from Mary Lou and simply said she wanted all the details and why didn't I call her first to let her know I had a date with the Man of Mystery himself because she had to heat it from Emma Lamponelli who heard it from her younger sister who was working the bar and dropped the martini she had been serving at the sight of Ranger. The 4th was from my grandmother giving me props for picking the one with the best package and telling me she wanted details. The 5th was from my mother again asking why she had to hear from Mrs. Eanni down the street about my inappropriately short date and why didn't I take the time to eat, no one else's daughter rushes from a date before dessert and how could I let another man act like he's my boyfriend because what in the world would Joseph think.

I sighed in defeat, hanging up the phone and dropping it without unburying my head as I considered the benefits of moving somewhere far, far away that still has warm weather and beaches nearby. California's far enough, but I might have to make myself look like Meg Ryan simply to get across the state line and I wouldn't be able to bring myself to do it… and then who wants to get stuck in Nevada? No one does, which would leave me with Florida, which is a little too close for comfort, but has the benefit of a RangeMan in Miami. Double damn.

"I smell something burning Babe." Ranger's hand started to gently massage the back of my neck, working some sort of magic I wish he'd do more often as all coherent thought evaporated leaving my body a mass of Batman induced goo. Okay, so maybe he could be forgiven for letting me get carried away in his hotness to the point of massive 'Burg gossip fiends attacking me. I was semi-used to that anyway.

Even so, unless Ranger decides to lock himself in the penthouse with me and continually use his magic fingers on various parts of my body, I was going to need a dozen Boston Crèmes before I can face the day.

"Babe."

Oops, must have said that out loud judging from the please-tell-me-you're-joking-tone of his voice. Hey, it's not my fault. Batman may not need sugary fuel, being a man and all, but Wonder Woman knows all about the importance of chocolate.

"I have to go check out an issue with a client, Ella is on her way up with breakfast… why don't you stay here and relax for a while and if you behave, I'll bring you back _one_ donut."

Hmmm, a Batman compromise.

"We can have that discussion over lunch."

Damn. I weighed my options. I could say no, which would include an embarrassing ride from someone back to my apartment (dressed in last night's clothes, no less) and therefore thrust back into the real world where I would be bombarded with my newest scandal. Saying yes, however, would put me at Ranger's mercy and I would either have to gather my courage and face the 'conversation' or enjoy a distraction technique… after, of course, enjoying the benefits of Ranger's shower and Bulgari.

I sighed, knowing full well that it was no competition… I would stay. And I'll use the relaxing, quiet morning to return some phone calls and prepare myself for a conversation with The Dark Knight himself.


	8. Stream of Consciousness

**Hey Ya'll! I'm back already! Proud of me? Anyways, before you go off and read this CH, I had a quick note (**_**hopefully you're reading this so I'm not sitting here talking to myself**_**…)  
****While writing this CH, I'd been listening to a CD that was given to me by a friend of his band. Somehow, some of the lyrics from a few songs managed to weasel their way into the story (_Thanks_ **_**Dan, for your beautiful lyrics**_**!). Since they did, however, I felt it fitting to let you all know the band/songs info so you can check it out if you want. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. So, without further ado:**

**_Still Time -_****- _'Fall & Rise'_ and _'Stream of Consciousness'_ were the 2 songs that influenced me, but the whole CD rocks.  
****Let me know if you want me to send you the lyrics, I have them all.**

**Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed and let me know they actually like the story/writing… hopefully this is up to par. :D**

* * *

I stared dumbly at the door Ranger had just disappeared through, having had my brains sucked out of me through my mouth courtesy of a Batman-Goodbye-Kiss. Damn, the man was simply too hot for words. Within five minutes I was able to gain control of my body again (not too bad, considering) and I headed straight for the blissful retreat of Ranger's bathroom.

I loved Ranger's apartment… it might not have homey touches (lets be honest, who can picture Ranger hanging family pictures on his own… that is just _so_ a woman's job), but it was the epitome of safe, luxurious, secretive, protected…all of the above. It was absolute heaven; as long as I wasn't trapped like a hamster in his cage…a lavish jail _is_ still a jail after all.

Oh! I stopped short, running back to the foyer floor for my cell phone, hitting speed dial one as I paced around frantically.

"Babe."

"I forgot about Rex! He'll starve!" I ignored his incredulousness at the speediness of my phone call and shouted my way straight to the point.

"I'll take care of it." I could tell he was trying not to burst into laughter, but I didn't care if he thought my worry of being a horrible hamster mommy amused him or not, as long as someone fed Rex. "Now go relax and I'll see you at lunch." He hung before I could respond, but it was close enough to an actual 'goodbye' that I let it go.

I smiled as I walked back towards the bathroom, deciding a Bulgari Induced Orgasm would be the _perfect_ courage booster for my return phone calls.  
_sigh_

-- --

"Babe." Ranger's voice sounded far away, but I could still hear the amusement laced in it. What in the hell was so funny? "You." Oh…had I sad that out loud? Damn.

I mumbled something in return that was so unintelligible that sadly neither one of seemed to understand a word I said. Ugh, I simply did not function well without an excess of sleep… _not_ that I was complaining mind you.

"Ella just brought lunch up…" His breath feathered against my ear sending a wave of goosebumps shivering my suddenly overheated skin. "Unless, you're hungry for something else?"

Oh boy. I started to turn towards him, realizing in my sleep muddled brain that my 'distraction' could easily begin now, when suddenly – he was gone. My eyes flew open in the shock of the abrupt loss of his presence as he stood looking down at me with a soft smile.

"Come on, I know you've got to be hungry." I blinked a few times, wondering (okay, _hoping_) he was joking, and then I was scowling at him when I realized he wasn't. He let out a burst of laughter and yanked me up and straight into his arms, claiming my mouth in an enthusiastic kiss when I gasped in surprise. He released me a minute later, and in my Ranger-Hello-Kiss clouded mind, allowed him to lead me over to the table where there were two full plates set out with lunch. I sat, looked at my plate, and then eyed Ranger's plate and rolled my eyes. I had a huge, loaded French Dip sandwich in front of me while he had a salad with what looked like alfalfa sprouts on it. Ew, there wasn't even croutons… how do you eat a salad without croutons?

"With pleasure…besides, there's cucumbers for crunch." He answered my unspoken (or, with my luck, spoken) question. I cringed and picked up my sandwich to get the gross eating habits out of my head. "So, what did you do this morning?" he asked casually between bites, even though we both knew he was referring to my obscene amount of screeching voicemails.

"Not _too_ bad…" I sighed, hesitating. My mother had, of course, been beyond reasoning with; but at least she had been the only _non_-excited one with regards to my official Batman date. "My mother whined a lot, banned me from Pineapple Upside Down cake for a while, and then in the end made me promise I'd bring you to dinner next Friday, and my Grandmother, Mary Lou and Lula just wanted to nag me for details and berate me for not telling them in advance."

"Dinner? At your parent's house?"

Damn, I was hoping I had skimmed over that bit of information too fast for him to notice. I should have known nothing escapes Batman.

"You aren't going to give me a hard time about this are you?" I asked, using one of his favorite lines. He just stared at me, staying silent. "Don't you realize I can't tell my mother 'no' on this? We went on a date… in public… in the 'Burg… you are required now to come to their house... if you don't, my mother assured me she would be ostracized from all the 'normal' 'Burg mothers with 'normal' 'Burg daughters!"

"Calm down… we'll go." He agreed soothingly, but couldn't wipe the grimace from his face. Not that I could really blame him, thinking back to past family dinners, but we regrettably didn't have a choice. I wasn't going without Pineapple Upside Down cake for the rest of my life…not even for The Dark Knight himself.

I scarfed the rest of my sandwich down, lost in thoughts of the horrors of never eating Pineapple Upside Down cake again, Ranger at my parent's dinner table as an _actual_ date, Grandma's scary questions from earlier that made me cringe, and Ranger's upcoming 'discussion'. By the time I was finished I had to discreetly unbutton the top of my jeans and I felt sick to my stomach with nerves.

Ranger laughed, as if he was reading my thoughts and knew my discomfort and what was causing it (which he probably did) as he scooped me up and carried me over to the couch, sitting me down softly before following. I avoided his gaze, squirming in my seat as he sat next to me, watching silently… eerily somber. I already hated this conversation.

"Why don't you explain this _epiphany_ of yours in more detail for me." He asked softly, and although there was a joking quality to his voice, his tone held an undercurrent of wariness, almost as if he was as afraid as _I_ was about what was about to come out of my mouth. For some reason that realization both made me smile and worry all at once.

This was it; this was our moment at our precipice, awaiting our decision on whether or not we were leaping. I took a deep, fortifying breath, preparing myself to spill everything out in the open, risking my heart as I knew it.

I gave a vague recount of my epiphanies from that day, shooting nervous glances at Ranger's side profile in an attempt to gain insight to his thoughts, but Ranger's eyes were blank. Not in his usual trained blank mask, but turned within, pondering my words as they were spoken with an internal eye. If all else fails, I told myself during one of my hesitant pauses, at least I'd never regret his not knowing that I love him. I realized, after all this time, that _that_ had been bothering me in my subconscious a lot. I knew the chances of him being taken from my life before I had gotten the chance (or, more accurately, _courage)_ to explain how much he meant to me had been high and I don't know how I would have been able to live with that. It had felt wrong, and despite my current embarrassment, I was happy he would finally know.

"Babe… I-" he broke off, seeming to have to search for the right words and I swear I felt a large crack start to slice through my heart. What had I been thinking? That _I_ knew more about the Man Of Mystery than _he_ knew about himself? In the space of a heartbeat, after only two words, I realized the true depth of my denial. "I hide myself," he finally stated softly, staring into nothingness, and for once I was glad for his detached, internal gaze so I could watch his face in fascination. "I know its not right, and I look at you… the way you bare yourself to me… and I _know_ its not right, but-" he broke off a gain and I felt an icy hand clutch my heart again. He was opening up, but was he only opening up to help me understand why we couldn't be together… because that's what it sounded like to me. It took every once of willpower that I wasn't even quite sure I _had_ to stay seated and not run.  
"Since I've known you," he began again, and I realized this is the first time I have ever seen him unable to construct a statement, in its entirety, in a decisive, educated manner. It was mind-boggling.  
"You have made me crave a life I had banned myself from years ago… you make me want what I know I can't have – a real world dream." His voice sounded anguished and it tore at me.  
"Something I knew I couldn't allow myself to possess, but couldn't resist taking sips of. I hungered those small increments of love and affection you would grant me like a starved man, just so I wouldn't have to abandon the dream completely, hoping for heaven…" he trailed off, lost in his own thoughts but I didn't dare disturb.  
"I could sate my desires for short amounts of time with those flashes, telling myself it wasn't changing anything between us, chasing a reality that couldn't be real for me." He paused, still lost in thought while I sat in a blinking daze.

"Losing my mind, gaining my soul…" he murmured, more to himself than to me, but the words still struck a chord with me. This was _so_ not what I had expected from him.  
I burrowed into his chest, wanting to express that love and affection, willing him the strength to continue.

"Why?" I prodded after too long a moment of silence, _needing_ to know.

"I…" he broke off and I nuzzled my face into his chest again in encouragement. "With Julie, nothing had been planned and even when Rachel and I discussed our plans for the future divorce and child custody, my mind had been at war with my heart." His voice was strained and I felt tears prick the backs of my eyes.  
"I knew it would be for the best; my army regiment was dangerous and time consuming, and Rachel and I weren't in a relationship, let alone in love with each other…but the simple idea of a family of my own to come home to nagged at me. I wanted it, but I knew it was irresponsible while I was doing something so dangerous, so at the age of 20 I told myself I would re-evaluate after my _danger_ days were over." He practically sneered the last bit, but I didn't interrupt.  
"That day never came, and the longer I served and the more I saw as I became what I became today, I realized the chances of it coming were slim to none. I would not put my wife and children in that kind of position, waiting for my funeral, and I was simply too good at eliminating the bad guys to just quit." I suddenly remembered his comment about why he did bounty hunting with a new perspective. He had given up having a life because of his own principles with his sense of duty.  
"I liked to know, as wrong as it sounds, that if anything were to happen to me with a skip or on an assignment, that you wouldn't have any solid ties to me… that Morelli would be with you to make sure you ended up happy."

I stiffened, my body losing contact with his as I glared up at him. "_That_ is exactly what I mean by 'stupid comments'!" My outburst startled him from whatever world he had lost himself in while talking and he eyed me in confusion.  
"Do you honestly think that just because you hadn't given our relationship a title I would be less upset if something happened to you?!" my Italian temper was just warming up now and I let it take over.  
"Yes, Joe probably would be around be around to make sure I kept myself eating and breathing, just like he had to do when you were shot and I had a panic attack of epic proportions; but nothing would be able to change the fact that I love you." I paused catching a breath between rants.  
"Besides, I have already decided, no matter what happens between us, that I'm glad you finally know just how much you mean to me, because the thought of something happening to you with things left unsaid has haunted me for almost a year now and _would_ have haunted me for the rest of my life." I felt tears making tracks down my cheeks and I was clutching desperately at his hands, willing him to _see_… to _feel_ the strength of my emotions. I wasn't sure where he had been going with this conversation, but it hadn't sounded positive and I was attempting to use sheer will to turn it back around.

Ranger watched me carefully as tears slowly leaked down my face, and for once in my life I didn't care if someone was watching me cry, looking as if he was searching for answers that I didn't know the questions to and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't read his face. A moment passed without us moving an inch before Ranger broke the silence on a wary sigh.

"Babe-"

The world stopped; I didn't move: didn't breath, didn't blink, didn't squeeze my hands on his in a hopeless attempt to never let go… I simply sat in stony silence and waited for the rest of his sentence that would affect the rest of my life.

:D Sorry, I couldn't help myself, I had to leave it there...


	9. Damned Dark Knight

_**Ha! I should write cliffhangers more often – talk about getting a response! I had been considering the realization that the fire of my story was flickering... cliffhangers certinaly spark things up a bit at least.  
**__**I could say I'm sorry… but we all know I'm not… It was entirely too good to pass up. Don't worry… this chapter should initiate some happiness.**_

_**So, did anyone check out the band Still Time ??  
Even though for some damn reason it wouldn't allow me to add the link to their myspace page…**_

* * *

"Babe…I-"

I yanked on his hands that I still gripped in my clammy palms, pulling him towards me as I sealed my mouth over his in a desperate effort to stop whatever it was he was planning on saying. I poured my heart, hell my entire _soul_, into that kiss… pulling at him, drawing the love I knew he held inside, out with my lips. When I finally allowed him to pull back from the pleading kiss, he searched my face in confusion.

"I don't like where all of this seems to be heading." It was as if he tore the confession from my lips with the strength of his questioning gaze alone. Damn the man and his super hero powers.

It took him a moment to process my words, but when he did, his head fell back and a burst of deep laughter filled the somber air around us.

I blinked in confusion. Did I miss something? What the hell is so funny _now_?

"You." He answered as his laughter retreated into soft chuckles, pulling me into his lap and running his hands in circles over the back of his oversized t-shirt I had stolen from his closet (along with the sole pair of silk boxers which had led to a few moments of overheated-ness) in what was obviously meant as a comforting gesture. Once again, I found myself blinking in confusion. I felt like I missed out on a big chunk of time that had brought us from Ranger explaining why he didn't want a relationship with me to him laughing at me and _cuddling_.

_What. The. Fuck_.

I glared at him, _hoping_ I said that out loud.

"You never disappoint."

"I'm happy that I'm amusing you while you try to break up with me." I answered back stiffly, bracing my hands to climb off his lap so I could walk out the door with a small shred of pride left. "Let me up!" I growled out as his hands kept me firmly in place – and damn if he wasn't still chuckling at me!

"No."

"Yes." I shot back as I tried, unsuccessfully, to remove myself from the band of his arms. He only tightened his hold, smiling softly as I struggled.

"I love you."

Well that would be one way of making me stop struggling. I opened my mouth to ask what the hell that was supposed to mean when he just got done explaining the reasons why he couldn't have a relationship with me. Except no sound escaped from my lips and I morphed into a fish out of water, opening and closing my mouth in bewildered silence.

"Huh?"

I know… complete eloquence on my behalf.

"I love you." He repeated with a soft smile, reaching up and tucking an errant curl behind my ear.

"I'm confused." I stated after another few minutes of fish impersonations.

I mean, Ranger had told me he loved me in the past, but not like this – never quite like this... this had an undeniable bottom layer of seriousness to it. I had no idea what to make of it, no idea what was going on inside that thick skull of his. The realization gave me enough of my sense back to glare meaningfully. The unspoken concession between us was that he had less than two minutes to explain before I attempted to leave and never spoke to him again. I'm sick of being left in the dark, damnit… even if he was The Damned Dark Knight himself.

"I've loved you for a long time – you know that." I glared, reminding him with my pissed off stare that he had always categorized his 'love' comments into something that sounded unappealing – purposely… and we both knew it.

The memory pissed me off even more.

"Are you _trying_ to be an ass?"

"You're the only woman I know who would give me the sweetest kisses imaginable while I'm saying something she doesn't like the sound of…" the smile wasn't only on his face, but emanated from the depths of his chest into his deep voice.

"I wasn't trying to break up with you…" he broke off, starting to do the introverted staring thing again. "No, that isn't exactly right… I guess I assumed telling you all the details, explaining why I was the way I am, would do the job for me... would make you understand that you really wouldn't want me in the ways you think you do… I should have known you would do the opposite…" He frowned at himself, staring at the blank wall.

"I'm not sure about any of this," he said after a few moments, as if the wall had depicted images of a possible future relationship. His eyes met mine and I actually saw the man behind the mask… the fear and worries that all of us experience but he usually hides. "I'm not sure if _I'll_ be able to handle having you so close…"

When the anguish of unspoken worst case scenarios broke off his sentence, I brought my fingers to his face, softly easing the worry lines that etched themselves. What he hadn't realized was that knowing his past, the 'why's' associated with his reserved personality did he exact opposite of what he had assumed. The knowledge was comforting, in a completely screwed up way, but it revealed not only his hidden nightmares and dreams… but also how much he loved me. He loved _me_… as I was, no conditions, with no 'if', 'or, 'but' stuck onto the end.

He would actually sacrifice anything and everything he had forced himself to believe in… for _me_.

As odd as it sounds, and as unresolved as everything still seemed despite the revelations… I _knew_, deep within my soul, that it was distraction time. Distraction - this time from his past and the memories and doubts, worries that assailed him; distraction from the precipice we faced that would change so much in both of our lives.

It was a small shift of my body to be straddling his hips and facing him, and I made sure to move languorously.

"Yes you can…" I whispered, leaning in to scatter soft kisses along the hard line of his jaw. "Because so can I." I spoke the words without breaking my lips from his skin. "Besides, you can't go ruining me for all other men if you plan on abandoning me… that's just rude."

I sealed the statement using my lips pushing into his with strength, a strength that if I wanted to get all philosophical with, equaled to the strength we had _together_. Considering I had Ranger between my legs at the moment though, I wasn't going anywhere near being philosophical… I was going to go with the physical distraction route.

Seriously, who could blame me?

Honestly, I was feeling oddly confident and almost a little sassy (unusual for me, I assure you when it comes to dealing with Batman) with my new knowledge of Ranger, so I decided to use it to the best of my ability.

I nibbled my way along the hard ridge of jaw before exploring the cords of his neck that he presented my mouth with as his head dug its way into the supple black leather, allowing me complete control.

**a/n**: yea, so I don't remember how Ranger's couch is described, but black leather worked for me right now…

I looked up through my lashes, awed at the sight of Ranger's face relaxed with pure pleasure against the couch and my mind instantly latched onto the 'everyday' men that were superheroes – the Bruce Wayne's and the Clark Kent's… and the Ricardo Carlos Manoso's. I ran my hands up and underneath the tight black t-shirt at the thought, feeling the hardened muscles clench under my fingers as I my mouth inched closer to his ear.

"Mmmm… Batman and Superman merged into one… 'The Dark Steel Knight'" I combined the breathy word 'steel' with the apex of my silk clad thighs sliding roughly along his hard length. I'm sure Ranger had no idea where that comment came from… but he obviously wasn't concerned with asking, unless that's what his slight groan was supposed to signify. His long fingers instantly snaked under the loose folds of his silk boxers I was wearing, pushing them up with the hard journey of his gripping hands. Emotions that had been running high fueled a sudden burst of fire between us, our hands became a frenzy of movement in an attempt to gain access to skin and our bodies shamelessly bucked and rubbed, adding potent fuel that shoved us on the way to a sure explosion.

My shirt was the first to get tossed aside, and since I hadn't worn a bra the previous night Ranger's fingers and mouth instantly latched onto my exposed nipples. I slipped out a groan in response, arching my back into him and slowly gathering the black cloth of the shirt he was wearing in my clenching fists, revealing inches of perfect mocha latte skin with each gasp of pleasure. Within minutes the inhibition it was causing forced him to pull away slightly, allowing me to free the mountain range of muscles that created Ranger's droolworthy torso. The sight alone had me reaching down and popping the button on his black cargos. Okay, okay…you caught me in a lie… the memory of what was hidden without barrier behind that zipper had a lot to do with it too. Actually, the combination of memory, hormones, and the expanse of Ranger's naked upper half (and soon the lower half as well, if I had my way) had me feeling like one of my car bombs on the verge of detonating.

And he wasn't even naked yet… unbelievable hotness to the umpteenth degree, I assure you.

Ranger's hands, that had reattached themselves to my body the moment he was freed from the confines of such a tight, heart-attack causing shirt, managed to snake to my drenched center through the loose leg openings of his boxers. I'm pretty sure I actually screamed at the sensation, rocking my hips wantonly on my frenzied path to release. In the midst of clutching, kissing, licking, biting, suckling, tweaking, and slithering… my body, poised to take flight on 'United Ranger Doomsday Orgasm Airlines' was abruptly without Ranger's touch. Then I heard the sound, and the ensuing pressure, of silk ripping… as in off of me.

My eyes snapped open, my fingernails dug into skin deeply, my glazed eyes attempted to glare and my mouth opened to protest when Ranger's hands suddenly gripped my hips and slammed me down on him with a force that had simultaneous exclamations of pleasure escaping our lips. We each froze, appreciating the feeling of being joined so intimately and completely. From that moment on pure animalistic tendencies took over and our bodies were slamming into each other, driven by a passion that blinded us to everything except one another. It was as if no one could touch us here… there was no outside world that was full of dangerous people out for us, no gossip, no family… nothing but us and the magic between us. Our bodies, slicked with a sheen of sweat and gliding silkily locked together hurled us to the crest, exploding within seconds of the other in earthquake sized pulses that effectively liquefied bones. The resonating waves continued sporadically, clenching my muscles around him in bursts of aftershocks through our limp bodies; almost as a reminder of the measure of intensity that had been shared between us – on multiple levels.

Ranger, being Ranger, stirred first with heavenly nuzzles and soft caresses that didn't fail to bring me out of my post coital stupor.

"C'mon… you can nap in bed." He whispered, standing up effortlessly with me tucked in his arms as he kicked off the cargos around his legs and walked in all his naked gloriousness to the bed. The soft mattress and divine sheets hugged me as I smiled sleepily at Ranger, who had stood after depositing me in his bed and was looking at me as if he had solved a great puzzle. And, guessing on the tone he used at his statement… I'm guessing, in his 'mystery' mind, he did.

"I like seeing you naked in my bed."


	10. Double Damn

_**Hi! Long time no see. Yeah, I know, I'm a bit late this week. Life is **__**entirely**__** too hectic at the moment and really doesn't show signs of slowing down until August… so please, bear with me. I'm still attempting to perfect my WIP before RWA Nationals (the deadline I gave myself), so that's another reason I'm taking longer than usual, but any support ya'll want to throw my way letting me know I haven't lost you would be great… (wink, wink)  
Anyway, without further ado… please enjoy.  
**__**P.S. – I added the link for the band Still Time (my muse instigator) on my profile page because I just realized (duh) that it'll let me post a web link there. Please, Please check them out and give them some support.  
**__**P.P.S. – Usual disclaimers and crap, this is quite obviously an AU of Mrs. Evanovich's world since she seems hell bent on keeping Stephanie with Morelli. (sigh)**_

* * *

I must have been more tired than I thought because the penthouse was dark with night and I felt a hot Cuban spooning my naked body from behind. Who knew Batman sometimes needed a nap. I was honestly surprised Ranger hadn't gone back to work after placing me naked in his bed to _unwind_... and speaking of, I was going to have to put some thought into the revelation that he likes seeing me naked in his bed. That is not an off-hand type of comment for The Man of Mystery to make. Although, he's not as much a man of mystery anymore… I felt like our talk earlier had let me see him as no one else has. Now what did _that_ mean?

"I need to go home." I mumbled, hoping my lips were working well enough that the words came out coherently. A Doomsday Orgasm could be considered the equivalent of a massive stroke, therefore obviously requiring time to restore myself… problem was I'd had enough of them in the past 48 hours that I was semi-concerned about the functionality of my body.

When my only response was a noticeable tightening of muscled arm around my middle, I assumed I was at least marginally comprehendible. I could also safely assume Ranger wasn't overly fond of my statement. That revelation on its own brought out two opposing feelings in me. First off, glee at the fact that for once in our time together he didn't want me to leave instead of simply being stuck with me for a period of time while I hid out in his apartment; but I also felt my usual twinge of annoyance of someone trying to control the situation… and in turn, control _me_.

I prefer to do _what_ I want, _when_ I want.

Besides, it was Sunday night and I could _not_ walk into the Bonds office tomorrow morning after a public date with Ranger smelling of Bulgari… at least not if I was going to be successful in evasion.

Connie and Lula would eat me alive.

The thought alone had me attempting to wiggle out of Ranger's grip, shooting blind glares at his face that was buried in my hair over my right shoulder.

"Raaaaanggeeer…" Okay, so I was whining like a grumpy two year old, but I didn't care. Lula in a Rhino-Bitch mode is _not_ something I want directed at me and I'll use whatever means necessary to avoid it… even if that means acting in a way that will surely make Ranger decide he wants his zen-quiet apartment back. Besides, I need to check on Rex and get some clean clothes that fit me… and a bra and underwear might be nice too. Probably Ella has some of mine stashed somewhere ready to be embroidered with Ranger's name, but the thought of asking (or worse, have Ranger ask for me) is too mortifying to even consider.

"Babe."

Yup, that was definitely an 'I can't believe I'm having to deal with an annoying adult/two year old' tone.

"Come on Dark Knight…I'm officially flashing the Bat-Signal, put on your black suit, take me to the Batmobile so I can return home in the cover of darkness, and avoid any further scandal." I was pretty sure that was a snort of laughter I heard slip through as his arm tightened around me again, pulling me flush against his hard length. I smiled devilishly.

"Is that your black rubber BatSuit, or are you just happy to see me?" I attempted to sound sexy but a laugh escaped at the reference.

Before I had even realized his intention, before my breathy chuckle had even died in my throat, I was pinned to the mattress as Ranger held himself over me on his forearms. The chuckle died, burned out by the raw passion that was suddenly tangible in the air surrounding us, thickening the air, and making it impossible not to gasp for breath in the thickness.

"No black rubber, but plenty of happy…" Ranger murmured, dropping his head down a few inches to nibble near my left ear, effectively causing a mass of goosebumps to pop up down the left side of my body. Oh yeah, definitely plenty of happy. I smiled as his mouth sampled and his growing thickness grew heavier between our bodies, occasionally nudging the sensitive mound between my legs. My hands had just started to get greedy with handfuls of bunched muscles when the shrill ringing of a phone made me jump, slapping our naked skin against each other with surprise. Ranger groaned audibly, not something you hear often as pushed his body into mine slightly before rolling onto his back and snatching his cell off the nightstand. I laid in silence, blinking and pulling what I feared was another fish impersonation as I watched Ranger pull his single word phone conversation that ended with '_be down in 10'_.

"Babe…"

I caught myself still doing fish impersonations and frowned. Was I really about to be denied the big D/O?! (doomsday orgasm slang) I'm pretty sure that should be illegal.

"Looks like you get your way," Not really, I interjected silently, since my way involved a goodbye-sleep tight-ruin you for all other men orgasm before I went home. "There's an emergency issue with a client, so we'll drop you off on the way over." Before I could respond, he pressed his lips to mine in a gentle kiss that had me melting into the bed sheets and too soon he had pulled away, standing up and walking in all his glorious nakedness to the bathroom.

I did a chin check for drool.

Two minutes later he was walking out, dripping wet, in the process of drying off and walking to the walk in closet. I think it was my gasp/moan that stopped him cold, but whatever it was brought a genuine 200 watt smile to his face as he faced me, leaning his nearly nude length against the door frame leading to the closet. The look in his eyes reiterated his earlier statement with a shout: he liked seeing me naked in his bed.

"Yes, I do, but we have five minutes before we're due downstairs so you need to get up and unfortunately get dressed if you want to go home." He was turned around and in the closet before I could even think to respond, and walking out fully dressed a moment later while I was still lying in the same spot glaring at the doorway from the tail of his last sentence. The corners of his mouth tilted up as he overtly glanced at his watch.

"Three and a half minutes, before you're stuck here waiting for me naked." I jumped out of the bed, scowling in defiance as I started searching for the dress I had arrived in. I had barely recognized the fact that Ranger had peeled it from my skin let alone where he had chucked the damn thing. I circled the bed, about to start crawling around on my hands and knees, as unattractive as that sounded in my bare-assed state, when Ranger's laugh interrupted. I shot him a glare but he only pointed in response. I followed the finger, spying a scrap of black material balled up in the opposite corner of the room. I could feel his eyes burning holes into my back, but I knew he wouldn't move: Batman had incredible willpower. I slipped the soft, wrinkled material over my head, shimmying it over my body and delighting in the growl that wafted my way from across the room.

"Ready." I grinned, spinning around only to come face to chest with Ranger.

I'm not really sure what happened next, all I know is that Ranger fused his mouth to mine in a hot, wet meeting of lips that fueled the unsated desires from earlier, while somehow managing to pick me up and get us in the elevator. The ding of the elevator gave it away, pulling me from my Ranger Induced Hypnosis as I dazedly untangled my arms and legs from his body as we started the descent. I tried to remind myself, as I stared at the sight of Ranger's Cheshire grin, that before the mind blowing sex of mouths I had been scowling for some reason…but it didn't work, and before I realized it I was grinning back.

Damn that man and his hotness.

He was holding me tightly against him, which was helpful since I'm sure I would have dribbled into a puddle at his feet if it weren't for his arms forcing me to remain upright. The ding sounded again, this time announcing our arrival at the garage, revealing a waiting Tank with arms crossed and the beginnings of a smile on his massive face. I could feel my blush overtaking every inch of skin as I did a mental forehead slap, remembering all the spying eyes in the sky/building and the fact that I was still wearing the dress I had arrived in late Saturday night after providing a show in the elevator. I groaned, ungluing myself from Ranger and high-tailing it to the bronco Tank was nearest, shooting a finger wave over my shoulder in the general direction of the control room cameras, imagining all the entertainment I was providing with a grimace. I jumped in the backseat, since Robin was obviously heading out with Batman, and squeezed my eyes shut with mortification. Could one single weekend possibly be such an extreme mixture between good and bad?

The ride back to my apartment was silent, surprise-surprise, and in what only seemed like minutes later we were pulling into my lot. I wasn't surprised when Ranger stepped out of the passenger seat, not only did I figure he'd want privacy for a goodbye but also because all Merry Men felt in necessary to terrorize my dust bunnies before I was allowed in my apartment. His hand grasped mine as I shot a finger wave to Tank (not that I expected a wave back or anything, but my 'Burg manners demanded politeness) as Ranger headed for the elevator and dragging me along.

"Don't you usually go for the stairs route Rambo?" I teased as the rickety doors, which unfortunately matched the rest of the building, opened and noting thankfully that our resident ancient elevator operator was conveniently absent tonight.

"Yes, but that would mean less time for this…" was all I heard before my mouth was once again being devoured in ways that made me burn for so much more than just a mating of tongues. Too soon we had reached my floor and Ranger was back to pulling me behind him as he made his way to my door, holding out his hands for what I assumed was his way of asking for my keys. I pretended not to notice, wanting to watch him break in from this side for once.

Except he suddenly froze mid stride, catching me off guard as I walked into the back of him (the ricochet almost knocking me flat on my ass) but as Ranger turned to either catch me or swipe me up to leave, I saw what had caused the reaction over his shoulder.

Guess I wouldn't be watching him pick my lock tonight after all.

My door, judging from the splintered wood, appeared to have been violently trespassed.


	11. Manhandled

Okay, so I made myself type up a new chapter for you before I leave for San Fran on Wednesday (RWA Nationals!)… Now, before you get excited, I apologize if it's a little rough… my muse wasn't really in it and I had to force it out and I didn't really have the time to edit… but I hope it satisfies anyway.  
Thanks for everyone's kind words and the loyal readers… without further ado…

Oh... and the usual disclaimers and crap... blah blah blah... my own dream world within the Plum universe...

* * *

As the effects of Ranger's kiss, and the resulting hormone overload that accompanies one, dwindled, my new situation was becoming clearer by the second. Ranger was already stalking away with me in tow as my brain slowly took in all the ramifications of my apartment being vandalized… _again_. The biggest, as already demonstrated, being manhandled and locked away by the ultimate alpha male in protection mode. I couldn't quite hold back the sigh that correlated with that thought, even though it caused Ranger's hands to tighten around me as if he knew the direction of my thoughts… which, knowing him, he probably did. We were halfway down the stairs when I realized this also probably meant the end of my two blissful days of experiencing Ranger orgasms whenever I wanted, because in less than an hour we would be disagreeing on the status of my freedom, putting a big thorn in the side of our newly discovered relationship status.

By the time we hit the parking lot Ranger was speed walking towards the still running black bronco with Tank standing in the open driver door, having either used ESP or just knowledge from the fact that we were standing in front of _my_ apartment building, to gather there was a threat of danger. Something too indistinguishable for my untrained-army eyes passed between the two men and as Ranger opened up the back door for me Tank repositioned himself behind the wheel. Ranger placed a quick, distracted kiss on my lips as he arranged me in the seat, closing the door before I could even think to open my mouth and ask the questions that were jumbling around uselessly in my head. In the next instant, before my brain could catch up and send the message to my mouth to form words, Tank hit the gas and reality suddenly broke through the haze overtaking my brain.

_What in the hell had just happened?_

I turned in my seat just in time to see Ranger walk through the door of my building with his cell to his ear, assumedly to secure my apartment, before glaring at the back of Tank's head and willing an excuse to come out of his mouth. No such luck of course, so I tried a more direct route.

"Where are we going?" I asked slowly, working hard to control my growing annoyance of having decisions made for me.

"Haywood."

Well, there went the control. I could practically feel the steam start to escape from my ears.

"May I please see your phone?"

Tank shot a worried glance over his shoulder… obviously my attempt at a sugary sweet voice had sounded a bit more hysterical than I planned. Either way, whatever it was he saw on my face caused him to hand his phone over immediately. Smart man… unlike some I could name.

I dialed Ranger's number from memory, squeezing the phone in my hand so hard as I waited for it to connect I worried I might shatter it. It didn't, of course, because I'm sure Ranger only buys indestructible phones for his personnel.

The phone rang once before being cut off as if someone had picked up but not answered. I've been around Ranger enough that this can occasionally be the standard hello when Tank calls, so I got straight to the point.

"Who died and appointed _you_ the director of my life?" Okay, my immature self was showing again, but I could care less… again.

There was a beat of silence and then,

"Babe."

"Don't 'Babe' me Ranger… I wanted to go home damnit!" My Italian genes were working themselves into a frenzy and I kept hitting the seat in front of me with my flailing hands. "I need to feed Rex, and do laundry, and sleep in my crappy sheets, and I definitely do _not_ need to spend another night in your damn Zen apartment smelling like Bulgari for work tomorrow so that everyone and their mother can hound me for measurements and make my life a living hell!" I stopped at that point, realizing I was saying much more than I had meant to. Much more than needed to be said, judging from the silence on the other end.

"Finished?" Ranger calmly asked after a few more beats of awkward silence.

"Maybe for now." Stupid Stephanie shot back, obviously intent on finding out if Ranger really would crate me up and send me to a third world country.

"Babe, your apartment isn't safe… the door won't even close all the way."

"You still could have _asked_." I replied mulishly; obviously no one taught Batman how to argue, he was being practical and I couldn't argue back at that.

"Sorry, would you rather Tank bring you to your parent's house?"

Damn him. We both knew I would shoot myself in the head if I had to deal with my mother after this past gossipy weekend.

"I hate you."

"Babe."

The line clicked dead and I barely resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at the mouthpiece. I stewed for another few minutes in silence, glaring out the tinted window as we approached the RangeMan building, a thought suddenly occurring to me.

"What about the client emergency?" I asked, not at all happy with the thought of Ranger neglecting important work simply because my apartment was broken into _again_.

"Hal and Zero were radioed out at the first sign of break in, Ranger will have a car dropped off for him when a team arrives at your apartment and will proceed to the client from there." Tank answered from the front seat. This whole sticking me in the backseat was annoying too, like Driving Miss Daisy does New Jersey.

"Why does Ranger have to go to the break in if Hal and Zero were already radioed out?" I asked, curiosity of Ranger's job momentarily overtaking my annoyance at being manhandled.

"On any system bypass that results in an actual break in Ranger wants to inspect in person." Of course he does, he probably considers it a personal hit.

I watched as Tank fobbed us through the gate, parking in one of the multiple open spaces before I shot out of the backseat. The fire in me stayed simmering, bubbling beneath the surface (impatiently waiting for Ranger) as I considered my next course of action. Before I had even considered my options I felt a warm hand on my elbow. I looked up into Tank's eyes, wary with concern of what I'd do, as he gestured towards the elevator. I frowned but walked towards it with my obedient trailing watchdog behind me to make sure I didn't decide to suddenly burst into a run out of the building (to give him some credit, I had done something similar in the past).

Knowing Ranger I was on official RangeMan Building Lockdown.

I stomped my way into the instantaneous elevator, wondering in the back of my mind how RangeMan always managed quick elevators and primo parking spots, jamming the floor five button with my finger. I noticed Tank's raised eyebrows but he didn't comment on whatever it was that had him curious. The doors slid open in a matter of seconds (heaven forbid anything pertaining to RangeMan not be the quickest or the best) and I made my way to my cubicle that had never been reassigned, ignoring the mass that was Tank trailing behind me. I booted up the computer, turning to Tank and coolly requesting any searches that needed to be done. If I was going to be held hostage I was at least going to do something productive with my time while I waited for Ranger's return.

I lost myself in the searches and before I realized the time, a deafening silence suddenly fell over the room.

Ranger.

I let an almost evil smile grace my lips as I slowly stood, crossing my arms beneath my breasts and turning towards the elevators. Ranger looked like he had just stepped off, his eyes roaming the room, as Tank stood next to him give what was obviously a report of activity. His eyes immediately locked with mine and I answered his questioning eyebrow with my best 'Burg glare… just in case he hadn't realized I was pissed off at him. He nodded at Tank, our eyes still locked, and started to walk over to me without an ounce of emotion on his face.

"So I assume now that you've had sufficient time and resources to secure my apartment you'll be taking me home now." I asked as soon as he was within hearing distance. He didn't answer, only stopped in front of me, crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow.

My eyes narrowed dangerously which only resulted in a "Babe."

"That 'babe' better mean 'of course I'm taking you home now, just as soon as you're ready' Ranger."

Ranger watched me for a moment, still completely devoid of emotion, perhaps gauging how serious I was being.

"No."

I guess the ESP is broken tonight.

"What do you mean no?!"

"I mean you are not sleeping in your apartment tonight, I grabbed Rex and packed a bag for you."

If I had been a dog my haggles would have shot straight up.

"Well, I appreciate the effort…" Not. "…but I think I'd rather sleep in my own bed anyways." Nothing, no response, (except for the slight quirk I noted about the sleeping in my own bed, we both know his bed is _so_ much better than mine, but it's the principle) no raised eyebrow even… just that annoyingly calm 'boss' persona.

"Christ, do you have a patent on the blank face thing or what?" Well that got me a raised eyebrow and a few bold snickers from the peanut gallery who were brave enough to stick around. "Emotionless Blank Face, copyright RangeMan, LLC., designed and perfected by the fucking Man of Mystery himself… proceed with caution, works best while wearing all black and being a domineering ass."

I didn't even see him move, but suddenly I was upside down with Ranger's shoulder knocking the breath from my body as I blinked in confusion at the small of his back. My bitch mode reared its head instantly.

"Damnit Ranger! Put me down!" Silence. "I am not going to a damn safe house, and I am not getting locked up in this building like it's my own personal jail! I don't care what you found there, I'm going back to my apartment" I accentuated every point with a fist in his back, not that it did anything other than hurt my hand – damn man of steel. "I have a life, I have a job, and I have serious issues with being manhandled damn you!"

I heard the elevator's arriving ding and went for a stiff pinch on his ass instead of a punch that would only hurt me. I watched the ground as he stepped in, turned around, and promptly returned the pinch on my upturned ass as the elevator began its assent.

I could do nothing but huff in return, well, as much as I was able anyways with my stomach indented on a hard rock shoulder. Obviously, my punches and pinches weren't doing me any good, and to be honest I was a little lightheaded from all the blood that was filling my head.

I considered the pros of passing out, or throwing up maybe, if I could even force myself to, but the elevator dinged our arrival at the seventh floor before I could attempt anything drastic. I dispassionately watched the marble flooring in the entryway blending into the foyer of Ranger's apartment and finally to the thick carpeting that signaled Batman's bedroom. I counted four steps and then, yup, flat on my back on the bed staring up at an annoyed man in black with his hands on his hips.

I wonder what he's more annoyed with… the fact that I argued back, or that I mouthed off in front of his men…or maybe that I called him a domineering ass. Tough choices.

I laid there waiting for a few minutes, wondering just what Batman would do in this situation. With Joe, I knew exactly how he would react to everything, but the Man of Mystery was just that… a mystery.

I sighed, and even though I wasn't being lectured or yelled at, I can recognize a immovable obstacle when I see one…and Ranger was definitely one. Great, this could only mean my apartment had held something that equaled hazardous to my health. I spied my black duffle bag on the floor near the closet doorway and decided I might as well get comfortable… it was obvious I was stuck here, especially with Ranger looking like he was on bodyguard duty, even if I wasn't happy about it. I shot Ranger a quick glare before standing up and walking around the wall his rock hard body creates, thinking I might take a long (Bulgari free) bath to relax my deliciously stiff muscles as Ranger filled me in on the situation.

I dug through the duffel, curious as to what Batman packed for me, opening my mouth to let Ranger know my plan when my fingers hitting something stiff buried beneath the wads of clothes. My bathroom bag hopefully, I thought as I pulled it to the surface, unless Batman wanted to share his toothbrush again. But instead of asking Ranger for details on my way to a blissful bath I frowned at the cardboard box my search resulted with, utterly confused.

Where was my damn bathroom bag? And why would Ranger stop at the store and buy condoms and then bury the box in my duffle bag… was he trying to tell me something? Except… the box was open… like it had been forgotten about in my duffle bag for a while. I tried to think of the last time I'd packed anything, and the only thing I could come up with was various weekend trips to Morelli's… which would explain the condoms. Aaaah… wait! A flashback of Ranger murmuring 'No black rubber' played out in my head, forcing my feet to move me towards my purse in a blind haze. Shit! We didn't use protection… damnit, where were my pills?

_Please_ let me have remembered to take them yesterday…


	12. Fulfillment !

**_Okay, so I'm back from my RWA National Conference…I apologize for the delay. I got this out as soon as I could for you, fresh with writing motivation.  
_****_You won't believe all the wonderful authors I met this past week…I'll be on a high for a while I'm sure.  
Anyways, without further ado…I hope you enjoy the newest chapter. I'll warn you right now, I left it at a bit of a cliffhanger again. But don't worry, I'm already at work on Ch. 13.  
Big Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers… you guys are the reason I keep ignoring my WIP and keep writing this story!  
P.S. - Usual Disclaimers, because once again, this is so obviously not Janet Evanovich's world._**

* * *

Don't you _hate_ the scene in the thriller movies when the killer is coming after the victim and they do such incredibly stupid things like drop the keys trying to turn on the getaway car or fumbling with a door lock in the midst of that life or death situation? I personally end up yelling obscenities and flailing my hands at the TV in frustration.

If I were watching this scene of my life on TV right now… I would be creatively cursing my inability to complete the simple task of digging through a purse I obviously needed to clean out with fingers that wouldn't obey my mind's frantic commands. I quickly gave up, pure panic making my hands flip the bag upside down, shaking out the entire contents into a pile on the countertop. I spread the pile of random junk that manages to accumulate in a purse until my eyes zeroed in on the small blue circle of hard plastic. I snatched it into my hands, blinking incoherently at the round journey of 28 pale yellow pills dated with the days of the week.

Sunday's pill was overwhelmingly present.

My vision blurred, almost mockingly surrounding the word Sunday with fuzzy black dots. Suddenly the dots were swaying, altering my vision without allowing me to look away from the offending pill.

"Babe…" I thought I heard Ranger's deep voice sound almost frantic, but I couldn't seem to force my eyes away to wonder what would break through the blank face. He's not the one who still has a very important pill in possession after countless doomsday orgasms. I really _had_ aptly named them hadn't I, I thought dazedly. Ranger's voice was almost yelling my name now, but I still couldn't look away… even though my vision was quivering now as if I were in the midst of an earthquake.

It wasn't until my world tilted completely to the side that I managed to snap of the alternate universe I had been living in… ya know, the one that allows nothing bad to happen. Turns out it was Ranger's thick arms that tipped me out of my pleasant world of denial as he cradled me like a baby.

Oh god… like a _baby_.

My vision started to swim again with the images skimming through my mind. Would Ranger attempt to do what he did with Rachel and Julie and marry me simply to give the child his name? I don't want to get married… especially not a marriage like _that_, based purely on a misguided sense of duty. I wouldn't survive. Of course, if I didn't get married my mother would probably never bake me Pineapple Upside Down cake for the rest of life… not to mention disowning me completely. The gossip would be out of control. What about my job?! I can't bounty hunt pregnant… or even with a small baby. I would have no money, no parents, no homemade cake, no waist…I think a groan escaped from my lips.

Of course, the groan only turned into a shriek when I felt the shooting pangs of cold pricks of water on my skin, instantly drenching my dress. My vision came back into perfect focus only to see myself surrounded by the white tiled shower and an eerily white faced Ranger.

"What in the holy hell was that for?!" I yelled, although most of my pissed off attitude had dissolved at the whiteness of Ranger's face. Thinking back, only when I had been in life or death situations (and let's face it… more on the death side of those situations) had I ever seen him look so worried. This wasn't life and death (unless you count forever living without Mom's homemade cake death, which I kinda did), this was more like an abundance of life. Too much life, if you ask me.

"Babe… you were comatose, in shock…" his voice held a distinct tone of disbelief. Hellooo, was he not paying attention to the pure havoc that had just descended on _both_ of our lives? "What the hell is wrong with you?" Obviously the shocking fear he had been experiencing was gone, replaced with an uncommon show of frustration.

Huh. I could have sworn that The Wizard didn't get frustrated.

I didn't deem the question required words as an answer… so instead I pushed past him, handing him the pill case on my way past, and reached for the fluffy towel on the bar. Ranger, being Ranger, took only two heartbeats to gather the pertinent information from the item in his hands. I knew from the loud expel of breath that sounded as if someone had kicked him square in the stomach. I knew the feeling.

"Batman without the black rubber." I reiterated as I walked into the bedroom towards my overnight bag, not wanting to turn around and look at the blank face I was sure to accompany this level of emotion. Besides, I was still a bit shaky myself…space seemed like a wonderful idea. I let out a sigh, picturing my blissfully empty apartment with longing. How was I supposed to wrap my mind around the fact that there was a possibility I could be pregnant with Batman's Baby?

I was obviously unaware of my surroundings (but really, can you _blame_ me?) because my world was suddenly tilted off its axis again, literally and not figuratively. I glared at Ranger's profile, now only inches from mine as he once again cradled me like a baby. Oh god, I really had to stop with the cradling baby analogy…it's really not helping my mindset in the least.

Ranger went to the bed, climbing in fully dressed and complete with shoes, and settled me in his lap sideways. As much as I tried to avoid it, the correlation of the carrying and lap cuddling with kids would not leave my frazzled mind. I let out another sigh.

"Does the idea make you so sad?" I heard softly in my left ear. The words stunned me to the point of frozen stupidity. I'm pretty sure I was doing another one of my fish out of water/blinking blindly routines. Out of all the things I might have expected to hear out of Ranger's mouth at this moment…that was certainly not one of them. I slowly, wondering if a body snatcher had taken over his body, turned my head to look Ranger in the eye. Instead of the patent blank face I would have bet a million dollars on for making an appearance at this moment, a shockingly serious, tender love filled his brown depths. His eyes compelled my soul for an answer to his question, one that I realized he was quite serious in asking. Almost as if…no, I brushed the thought away… mostly.

I tried to answer, what- I'm not sure, but only succeeded in choking myself. I felt soft pats and circles on my back from the warm width of Ranger's hand, and once again, the image of a small child popped into my head.

Okay, I decided as the choking subsided, if I kept thinking about children in relation to Ranger and I…I was going to go absolutely nuts.

"I suppose choking would be an affirmative answer."

"What is that even supposed to mean?!" I croaked out between the remaining few coughs. My throat felt bone dry and my limbs all felt a bit tingly as if they had fallen asleep, combining to unnerve me even more.

Of course, my body's odd reactions were nothing compared to how unnerving the depth of something I couldn't (or _wouldn't_) name that was reflecting in Ranger's eyes. He didn't answer, not really, only gave the smallest twitch of a shoulder that signaled a shrug. I couldn't remember ever having seen Ranger shrug, and the knowledge again added to my unease. I felt my lungs contracting, my breath coming in short spurts. I must have made some sort of distressing noise because Ranger's hand was once again rubbing the length of my back in what was meant to be soothing, a soft chuckle no thicker than a whisper tickling my ear.

"Well, going into shock and chocking wasn't _my_ body's initial reaction."

Was that supposed to be a dig of some sort? Was he giving me a hard time because my body had considered retreating into the blackness of denial rather than face the possibility of a baby? The indignation alone burned out the majority of unease, replacing it with angry curiosity to know what the hell alternate universe I had landed myself in.

"What _was_ your body's initial reaction then?"

My traitorous body overheated at the intensity in his eyes, and that quickly I felt tingly noticing the way I was curled into his body for a whole new set of reasons that had nothing to do with little kids.

"Fulfillment."

The answer distracted me from the thoughts of jumping Batman's bones, and I quickly did a mental head slap – that was exactly what had gotten me into this position in the first place.

Wait…did he just say…_fulfillment_?!

Okay, the whole fish impersonating thing was getting a bit old. But honestly now…_fulfillment_?! What in all that is holy is that supposed to mean?

"I don't know…I just know I felt it, strongly." Ranger answered. I must be speaking my thoughts out loud again, but I didn't waste the brain effort to even think about that. So, what did fulfillment mean I wondered? Did it mean…

"…you _want_ me to be pregnant?" I finished the thought out loud…or, knowing me, I had begun it out loud too.

Our eyes were locked, the inches of air between our bodies thick with heaviness of the moment and making it hard to breathe, as if the emotion was humidity in our lungs. In some random part of the back of my brain I wondered how we had managed to get to this part…we were fighting…we had only gotten two days of blissful love…and now we're talking about babies? I felt like life had hit the fast forward button on me unexpectedly, like I was lost in my own world.

* * *

Am I evil ? HaHaHaHa...


	13. Love Epiphanies Revealed

Hi guys!  
Well, I was hoping to do a longer chapter for you guys, but my muse had other ideas. Blame it on lack of sleep because they don't start showing the Olympics (or, more importantly, the gymnastics) until so late and I refuse to use my Tivo. _sigh  
Anyways, _Thanks to all my reviews… you guys are great (and yes, I fixed my typos on the last chapter) and definitely keep me going.

Without further ado, but proceeding with the usual disclaimers…

* * *

"Maybe..." Ranger's voice brought me back to the present with a single, albeit shocking, word. My jaw may have dislocated from the drop it made. "_If_ we had a choice, I don't know about right now… but maybe someday." He continued softly, his eyes growing soft and unfocused as he pictured something unseen to my eyes. I couldn't believe it. Batman had made mention of 'someday' before… who knew he was actually _serious_ about settling down 'someday'.

Talk about an epiphany.

"Did you think you were the only one who can have epiphanies about love?"

Must have said that one out loud, I realized, looking into Ranger's now focused eyes. The lack of emotion shielding shutters hypnotized me and I blurted the first thing that came to my mind as an answer.

"That wasn't a love epiphany on my behalf…that was a love and relationship epiphany I had _for_ you."

If I didn't know Ranger as well as I did I might have missed the subtle tightening of his body at my words and I instantly, although belatedly, realized what I had just revealed.

"In that case, when did _your_ 'love epiphany' come to you?"

Damn, I walked right into that one like a blind person in a new house didn't I?

Neither Ranger nor Joe had ever really pressured me to talk about _that_ night in my apartment with Scrog. The night Ranger had been shot in front of my eyes and his daughter had saved us all; otherwise known as the night I realized I loved two very different men. Honestly, it had surprised me that Joe had never (not even during a heated Italian argument or the final break up) brought up the overwhelming panic attack I had experienced thinking I was about to watch Ranger die on my living room floor. Ranger had obviously been unconscious, but I know someone had informed him of every detail – The Wizard knows _everything_. Which meant I had taken full advantage of the fact that both of the men in my life were content to slide over that one revealing night… until now. I considered trying to come up with a plausible lie, but dismissed the idea just as quickly – I can't lie convincingly to anyone, let alone Batman.

"Babe." I was still looking into the chocolate pools of Ranger's eyes and I clearly read the intention in them not to let this question slip by. The Man of Mystery wanted an answer, and we both knew he wouldn't give up until he got it.

My eyes shifted away uncomfortably.

I don't care if I was possibly pregnant with his baby or that he was at the moment inanely partial to that idea… confessing my love and how long I had known to Ranger was not my idea of a good time. This was, for some reason, so much different than simply convincing him how stupid his stance on relationships was. Maybe because those had been _his_ feelings… and these were most definitely the intimate details of _my_ feelings. I took a fortifying breath and idly wondered if another distraction technique would work in this situation when Ranger's hands suddenly pushed on my right arm, bringing my left side in full contact with his body and cuddling me under his chin.

I smiled as the pressure eased off my shoulders. Ranger would still want an answer of course, but he knew me well enough to know he'd get one quicker if I didn't have to look him in the eye while I talked about feelings. I inhaled again, this time simply to prepare for the full explanation. If I was going to bare my soul I might as well tell the whole story.

"I actually realized I loved both you and Joe at the exact same moment…" I started to explain, wincing at the stiffening of his body underneath mine. I didn't know why exactly, but I felt like if he knew that point he would understand my position a little better.

"I had never been able to say the words before, to admit to the feeling…since my marriage." I cringed before I continued, wondering what was going on in his head. "Until that night in my apartment… with Scrog." The pain was still evident in my voice, and as I closed my eyes I could clearly feel the helplessness and devastation I had felt waiting for one of the two men in my life to walk through the door to die. I pushed the memory away, knowing I needed to continue. "I knew it was either you or Joe that was about to walk through that doorway, I knew one of you would get shot… and I knew _he_ would keep his promise to shoot Julie if I tried to warn whoever it was. In those few seconds my heart stopped beating because one of you was about to get fatally hurt and I couldn't do a thing about it." My voice broke off as Ranger's arms tightened around me, but I didn't pause for long. If I was going to get this out, I was going to have to do it quickly because the memories could still hurt. "And then when you walked in – hands up expectantly and locking eyes with me…"

Okay, I thought silently, deciding to skip ahead. I simply could _not_ go into detail about that suspended moment in time when so much had seemed to pass between us.

"I was a wreck; they had to give me oxygen so I wouldn't hyperventilate as I watched them work on you on my living room floor. I didn't even notice when I had gotten untied, or when Joe made me go outside, trying to tell me that your wounds weren't as bad as they looked. I just remember feeling like a part of me had died."

I shivered involuntarily. It went unsaid between us, as the heaviness of those memories permeated the air, but I knew we were both thinking about bringing a baby into a life with those kinds of possibilities. The ramifications of a pregnancy between the Bombshell bounty hunter and the Dark Knight, or more importantly the psychos we manage to attract, was definitely not something to simply brush off.

I snuck a peek up to Ranger's face, wondering what was going on in his mind. Was he thinking twice about the fulfillment comment? Or was he possibly picturing us as – I gulped through a dry throat – a _family_?

No, I smiled slightly, knowing him he was probably making a contingency plan to cover every possible outcome. Batman was nothing if not prepared.

I cuddled my face back into his the apex of his shoulder, attempting to force my brain to picture or plan the possibilities as well. The visions I was able to conjure up only caused a grimace. Well, except for the one that made my heart tighten almost painfully. I'm not sure what Ranger looked like as a child, but the image of a precious child version of Ricardo Carlos Manoso battled against every qualm I had against being pregnant.

* * *

Love it? Hate it? Did my errant fingers type something completely off kilter again? Did my sleep deprivation shine through? Lemme know.


	14. Actions Speak Louder Than Words

I made my self imposed weekly deadline, sleep & muse deprived even. YaY! Damn muse didn't speak up right away to which direction this chapter was going to go until yesterday. Yea, in case you were wondering, I have no pre-determined plans for this story…I wing it completely each week. I'm serious. the end of this chapter started as the beginning – without inspiration though – until my muse finally came forward and demanded this. Heartfelt, sensitive and emotional SMUT.  
It's been too long.  
:D  
So, without further ado, prepare to ruin your panties. Ha! No, but really… I hope you enjoy.

Oh, and don't forget the usual disclaimers.  
I'm just borrowing Batman for Random Fun & Smutty goodness. What can I say, he's the perfect candidate for it.

* * *

Ranger interrupted my musings with a hot, rough palm against my jaw, forcing my head up so that our eyes leveled. The inexplicable emotional depth was still shining there, and he held my gaze a moment as if to ensure I saw it. In the next instant I was on my back, cradled between the strength of Ranger's arms and chest as his body positioned itself in the apex of my legs. My hips arched instinctively and in that split second the air surrounding our entwined bodies charged. Our eyes hadn't strayed and I would have had to be blind to not see desire swirl into his darkened brown pools.

I took the opportunity to study his face, this man who I might have created a child with.

His muscles were relaxed, including the ones of his face – something that could very well be considered rare. Even relaxed, faint lines made a home at the corners of his eyes. I could see him perfectly in my minds eye, as I had millions of times before, eyes crinkled from a variety of reasons: the rare 200-watt smiles, narrowed glares at enemies, squinting into the brightness of a day, lost in thought attempting to solve a puzzle, concern about someone he cared for. The simple images spoke volumes about him as a man.

His lips were slightly parted at the seam, hissing his shortened breath through.

His tanned skin resembled stretched silk over the chiseled planes that created his cheekbones, nose and jaw. If you knew nothing else about him, the power exuded in the lines of his jaw would speak well enough for the strength, discipline, and determination he contained.

When our eyes met again they began a slow journey to bring each other closer. Time itself was moving slower. All of our previous anger and anxiety was abated. It felt as if it took his lips forever to reach mine, but the reverence of the kiss made it so worth the wait. The soft pads of his lips merely sipped at mine. Small, sweetly short, kisses that spoke straight from the heart. I felt his tongue slither across the seam of my lips, but didn't cross the threshold. Our passion was a tapered candle, burning bright, but slowly, down its length.

One of his arms moved from behind my back, his hand grazing along my body, pushing errant cloth out of his way to bare my skin. Ranger undressed me slowly, in the midst of supple caresses and errant kisses. My breasts filled with heaviness of desire, plumping under Ranger's touch. My fingers trailed through his hair, glad he was growing it back out. The tingles from his hands on my now bare skin throbbed with a need so strong I peeled at his clothing. I _had_ to feel his skin against mine; I _had_ to see the different shades of skin melding as we became one. Ranger took mercy on me, helping me divest him of the layers between us, and I couldn't hold back the sigh at the feeling of his hot skin melt against me.

He shifted, his fingers gliding into my valley of dampness, and suddenly my sighs were groans. At the first groan that escaped, Ranger took the cue to take me higher and his mouth joined forces with his fingers. The pressure of his demanding fingers paired with the slickness of his tongue barreled me over the precipice and bursting into his mouth. Even through the orgasmic haze I waited for the stiff thrust I knew would come next. I had realized this past weekend that watching me come for him disintegrated the line of Ranger's control.

Except I didn't feel the hard length of him pound to my core. I felt him, with the extremes of sensitized skin, nuzzle his way up my body. Our mouths joined in a wet mating that had my hips arching in want. Ranger pulled back slightly and I ran my fingers along his chest, wondrously tracing the valleys and plateaus of muscle. Our eyes locked for a pregnant moment as he nudged his head into my folds.

I knew what that pause had meant, understood that he was silently asking permission. I'm not sure I could explain why I acquiesced. It was the air around us I suppose, the blanket of pure love that I didn't want to mar, or perhaps the idea of child with the man loving me so tenderly wasn't so scary after all.

Whatever the reason was I don't think I'll ever forget the fiery flash that was reflected in Ranger's eyes at my silent answer. I shivered from the sheer intensity of it.

Ranger glided until I felt the head fully surrounded by my swollen walls, clenching, as my body tried to yank him deeper. He moved agonizingly slow and it felt like an hour until he had filled me completely, our bodies joined together in the most intimate way possible. He paused again, this time a shudder wracking through _his_ body, reverberating deep inside of me and shooting straight to my heart.

This was right. So, _so_ right.

And that knowledge was doubly hard to ignore when Ranger started to move. Again, it was torturously slow but my body reveled in the lavishness. I fought to keep my eyes open against this onslaught of worshipful pleasure, not wanting to break the ethereal connection between us. We brought each other to climax quickly, our bodies not being able to withstand the power of passion that exploded from the depths of our souls. Ranger's mouth joined mine at that peak in a heart stopping kiss that only heightened the passion of the moment.

In that single instant of beautiful release I understood why women in books and movies sometimes cried during orgasm. What had just transpired was more moving than I could even find words for. I simply clutched to Ranger, keeping him hostage deep inside of me, unwilling to lose the moment.

I'm not sure how long we laid there for, cuddling and loving in silence before I fell asleep. I remembered looking deep into Ranger's eyes, kissing each lid reverently for letting me see inside of them, and the next thing I knew it was dawn and I was sprawled in my usual position on top of him. He was awake, of course, and I peered at him closely – asking myself if last night had been real. His eyes, as soft and unguarded as they had been last night reassured me instantly and I nuzzled my head into his neck in relief. We lay in silence again, content to be with our own thoughts and musings, wrapped in the soft morning light.

I had _just_ summoned the courage to ask Ranger what had brought on this sudden yearn for a

family, when his cell phone rang from its place on the nightstand. It was a startling reminder that the world really hadn't stopped spinning in the last 12 hours.

Ranger shifted under me slightly, bringing the phone to his ear a moment later in answer, without the perfunctory 'yo' or 'talk'.

"We'll be down in 10." He said into the phone before flipping it shut. His eyes never left my face in a look more intimate than some of the kisses we'd experienced. If I hadn't already been naked I would have _felt_ like it after a look like that.

"Reports are ready." My blank look must have spoke volumes. "We've pulled data on all your skips from the past 9 months, removing those still in jail, so we can get a list of suspects."

The afternoon of epiphanies, the date with Ranger and ensuing scandal, the break-in, the bickering… it all felt light years away now. Amazing how the importance of things could diminish against the thoughts of a family.

It made me wonder if that's how I would always feel if I were indeed pregnant with Ranger's baby. Would my world suddenly shift, making the importance of things I used to consider vital – obsolete? I had always been utterly terrified of the responsibility involved with a baby… could it really be such a natural thing for my world to suddenly revolve around another life?

More importantly, how was I going to wait almost a week, until my period was due, to find out? Sure, I could go to the doctor, but the thought scared me more than the wait.

"Time to catch the bad guy Babe."


	15. Wonder Woman Denial

**I made it! It was close, but I made my deadline.  
Once again, big Thank You to all of my wonderful reviewers… you guys make my day & are responsible for continuing this story. If not for you it would still be a 1-hit-wonder.  
:D  
Anyways, I hope you enjoy…  
and in case you were wondering, my name is still not Janet Evanovich and this is still me simply puppeteering her characters in the ways I want them.**

* * *

Since my mind was still occupied by the chance of pregnancy and not on bad guys infiltrating my apartment, I allowed Ranger to pull me to my feet, kissing my forehead lightly. He steered me towards the bathroom, grabbing the offending duffle bag that had started this whole mess, along the way. I watched as he started the shower and tried to get my mind to focus onto figuring out who was threatening my life now.

I let out a sigh at that thought, my cluttered mind not allowing me the freedom of denial. How could I possibly bring a baby into the cluster-fuck that was my life? It was barely safe for me, or my family, let alone my _child_. The child I conceived with _Batman_ himself, no less.

"Hey..." My chin was once again in Ranger's hand as his husky voiced begged for attention. "It will be okay."

The floodgates almost burst open right then and there, all because of his ESP that I was suddenly grateful he possessed. I'm not sure many people understand the strength of comfort that can stem from someone knowing you so well. Sure, it's annoying as hell sometimes, but at times like this, it's the equivalent to a reassuring blanket being wrapped around you in support.

I smiled, even if it was a bit tremulous, and nodded to Ranger, squeezing his hand in a silent thank you.

We showered, sharing soapy caresses and gentle kisses as steam and love permeated the air. And I mean actual love, not sex, surprisingly enough. For some reason I didn't understand, we were still on a platform that I still couldn't explain, where the tangible feeling of love overpowered lust and passion. It was something I had never experienced with Ranger before last night and I wondered if the realm of our newly defined relationship had just altered.

We dried and dressed in silence, and I was grateful when Ranger stepped out of the bathroom while I was throwing my hair up in a clip. I took the moment alone to close my eyes against my harried reflection and attempt to gain some of Ranger's zen focus.

A few seconds later I had my denial skills kicked in and my mind was blocked to all thoughts of a possible pregnancy. To fill the void and give my mind something else to focus on, I mentally pictured the glimpse of apartment I had seen. I allowed myself to think of nothing except the sole problem of who felt the need to trash my place.

Ranger was right – it was time to catch the bad guy.

With my mental lasso of truth and blue and white starred panties pulled up like a big girl, I breezed out of the bathroom prepared to take on the world. Or at least Trenton. Ranger was leaning in the doorway and his head dipped slightly, a smile playing at his lips, when I met his eyes. Batman was getting a kick out of Wonder Woman… but it looked like he approved too.

We rode the elevator down in silence with my hand tucked into Ranger's, exiting on the 5th floor and headed towards the main conference room.

I was shocked to see almost 10 men sitting in the leather chairs, waiting for Ranger and I to arrive. I stopped dead, my hand yanking itself from Ranger's and he instantly was stopped and looking at me in confusion.

"This is too much Ranger…" he opened his mouth to reply but I beat him to it. "You don't need all these guys working on a single break in at my apartment, jeez, it happens all the time! _Everyone_ breaks into my apartment, present company _included_, its not something you need to bleed money on."

I thought I heard a snicker from one of the guys and I concluded they were being brave today. Then again, so was I, because this was the second time I'd challenged Ranger in front of his men within the last 48 hours. Judging from the look in his eyes too, he was thinking the same thing. We faced off, each of us testing the other silently, until Tank took mercy on the group and cleared his throat meaningfully.

I didn't even get a 'Babe' before Ranger grabbed my hand and pulled me to a pair of open chairs at the head of the table, nodding at Tank to proceed. I figured it was probably in my best interest to comply. For now.

"Cops should have fingerprint results back by this afternoon and they'll pass the information onto us, and Bombshell, to determine any that don't belong." I bristled a little that I was an afterthought, but kept my mouth shut. I'd deal with blockades as I came to them. I was quickly realizing that with my life as hectic as it was… alright, so with my _mind_ as hectic as it was… I was going to pick my battles.

Ranger took over for Tank, flipping open the folder in front of him, everyone else following suit with their own.

"The packet in front of everyone is a list of Stephanie's capture history dating back 9 months, not including deceased or jailed. We need in depth searches completed on the list a.s.a.p. for any motive, so break the list into parts."

My eyes bulged a little at the sheer size of the list. I hadn't considered how many skips there might be in a 9 month period, and my stapled packet was 5 pages long.

"Babe, is there anyone off the top of your head that you can remember claiming revenge upon capture?"

Ranger's voice interrupted my musings and I had to blink a few times before I was able to concentrate on remembering the last 9 months.

"Damon Shuck had gotten pretty heated when he realized I was bringing him to the jail and not having sex, Dimitri Mallinokos had absolutely hated being brought in by a mere female, Eddie Luca had threatened me with family connections, Lizzie Fox's boyfriend had dumped her when he saw me cuff her and she blamed me for that…oh, and Willie Woodcock was the one that just firebombed my car when I was trying to apprehend him." I paused, tilting my head as I watched the men scribbling furiously on the pieces of paper in front of them.

"Is that all?"

Ranger sounded amused. It wasn't my fault my skips didn't tremble at the sound of my name… or the sight of me… like his could.

I glared in response.

Ranger opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by a buzz on the intercom box placed on the table on the other side of Ranger.

"Talk."

"Sorry to interrupt boss, but we have a situation at the garage entrance."

Ranger narrowed his eyes.

"Explain."

Could anything be more annoying than one word answers?

"Detective Morelli is here demanding to see Ms. Plum."

I should know better by now to tempt the devil with such questions.

"He is refusing to leave and threatening to ram his way through."

_Oh boy_.

:)


	16. Actions Speak Louder Than Words AGAIN

**_Well I was TRYING to get it out early for ya'll, since you've been so wonderful with reviews... but alas life got in the way as uaual. My husband's grandfather passed on Tuesday, and my husband left town on Wednesday, and I got back home on Wednesday... which means life was more hectic than planned. So, I'm sorry it couldn't be a little early, but here's the next Ch. for all of you wonderful readers.  
Thank you all so, so much for the reviews... I hope you enjoy! :D_**

**_And yes, still the usual disclaimers... because I am still, sadly, making no from this, only enjoying playing with JE's characters (i.e. Ranger)_**

* * *

It's always pretty quiet at RangeMan headquarters…at least when Ranger's present, but the silence that followed the intercom's statement was practically palatable.

I locked eyes with Ranger, or more importantly, Ranger's stone eyes on his patented blank face, and frowned. There was the subtle tightening around his lips and eyes which meant he was upset, but I didn't have time to figure out what exactly it was.

"I'll go diffuse the situation and see what he wants." I sighed, shooting an apologetic grimace at everyone for the interruption. I shot Ranger another questioning look as I began to stand, silently cursing pushy Italian men, and blank faces, with equal fervor.

"No."

That single word response, no… that coolly delivered _order,_ stopped me standing in front of my chair, even as my spine stiffened in objection. And if I had thought that the silence had been thick before, I obviously had no idea just how uncomfortable a room's atmosphere could get. My back was to him, but that didn't mean I couldn't feel Ranger's eyes boring into me, physically backing up his statement.

I took a fortifying, and hopefully calming, lungful of air and turned my body to the left so that I was facing Ranger. The advantage I had of looking down on him as he still sat wasn't as much as it would have been facing off with anyone else (no matter what, he was still _Batman_), but it still helped booster my courage. He knows me better than to tell me what to do… and he definitely knows me better than to attempt to order me around in front of an audience.

Reasonable-Stephanie (a very tiny angel that sits on the right shoulder left over from 'Burg etiquette) left the building as soon as the solitary word had escaped from his lips. There's probably even tape of her from the security cameras slinking off before the war started… Reasonable-Stephanie is a wimp after all.

It was the knowledge that wimpy Stephanie had disappeared that gave me the courage to cross my arms across my chest, with my feet shoulder width apart, and my best glare/scowl combo painting my face Ranger-Style and face off to The Wizard.

It might have also had something to do with the fact that this past weekend had overstepped the boundaries for the amount of emotional drama I allowed in a 48 hour period of time.

Needless to say, whatever the reason behind it was, I was in a face off with Batman using his own style of intimidation against him. And I wasn't backing down. In fact…

"Yes."

I topped off my confrontation with a defiant single syllable challenge of my own.

We had a glaring contest, complete with a silent argument, and completely oblivious to anyone else in the room. Well, at least _I_ was completely oblivious… I had a feeling Ranger knew exactly what was going on.

Especially since Joe's angry voice interrupted my telepathic dispute with Ranger as he complained about the response time.

My attention was startled to the doorway of the conference room, where it became obvious Ram (who was scowling at Joe's back) had been sent to save the Trenton issued POS from being rammed (ha, Ram… rammed) into the probably indestructible gate of Haywood. I mean, honestly, did Joe truly think the gate at Ranger's security building could be driven through… especially in his car? I think I've come to the conclusion Italian tempers cut off normal brain activity. Besides the point of the moment, but still something to file away. Joe stopped his grumblings to the Ram the Merry Man, probably from lack of stimulating response, and locked eyes with me across the room.

"Jesus, Cupcake, I've been trying to get a hold of you, where is your phone? What are you doing _here_? And what is all this I hear about Friday night… not to mention all the calls I've gotten about your apartment! And why the hell wouldn't anyone let me in?"

Since I was already worked up, I scowled Joe for good measure, and then again at Ranger as he grabbed my hand and yanked me back to my seat.

"Is there something you needed Morelli?" Ranger asked coldly, cutting my retort off. I shot him a glare and attempted to yank my hand back but he refused to let go. Of course, the struggle only managed to zero Joe's attention to our locked hands. I watched as his fists clenched at his sides and his face turned red. I knew that look well… Joe was not happy… and that was possibly one of the largest understatements of my life.

Now, I'm not stupid, I knew Joe wouldn't approve of my getting together with Ranger. He had made that point quite clear throughout our relationship, and it didn't matter if Ranger saved my life more times than can fit on my hands, it only mattered to him that he considered Ranger a dangerously unbalanced head case.

"Not from you." Morelli shot back, having recovered his ability to speak _semi_-calmly.

"Then you can leave." Ranger's response was followed by two of the Merry Men, including Ram who was still shooting daggers from his eyes, standing in the personification of a period. Ranger and his men obviously felt this conversation was over.

Another one of those pineapple upside down cake-thick silences followed and I squirmed, not knowing if I should interfere or not. Ranger was obviously trying to prove something, which bugged me, but I didn't especially want to defy him in that way in front of Joe. Joe would probably take it the wrong way, like I was interested in him again, and I still didn't understand why he was here in the first place. We had stayed friendly, but this was a little much.

"No."

I cringed, wondering what in the hell was going through his head. Did he have a sudden death wish or something?! Morelli's answer decided for me, spurring me into action. I wasn't going to defy Ranger for Joe… but I wasn't going to let Joe get himself killed either.

I jumped up with Ranger's hand still in my own to show where my… ugh, I mentally choked on the word, _loyalty_… lay between the two, and effectively drew everyone's eyes to me.

"Sorry everyone kept calling you Joe, I turned my phone off so I wouldn't have to deal with the gossip grapevine… I'm fine, really, and my apartment's fine… we're already trying to figure out who it could be… you don't have any prints info back yet, do you?"

Okay, so I was rambling, but I think it can be excused in this situation. But, judging from the blinking stares of a room full of God's gift to women, it helped diffuse what could have become a massacre.

"No, I haven't heard anything." Joe answered with a frown, eyeing me up and down in obvious distaste, his gaze lingering for a few moments on Ranger and my locked hands. "But you might try leaving your phone on – your mother has been trying to get a hold of you, and she finally called me in a panic. Not only has she heard about your apartment, but some guy has been calling their house looking for you. Obviously your new stalker wants to talk to you too." My entire body tightened at his words.

They simply put an exclamation point on my earlier worries about putting my family in danger and I instinctively cradled my stomach with my free arm.

The room was filled with men trained to be extremely observant… and not one of them missed my reaction.

_Shit_.

* * *

**_Ha! Didn't think I'd do it to you again, did you ? But this time... if I can, and if you guys are really, really nice to me - maybe I really will get the next chapter out early.  
Incentive?_**


	17. Alternate Universe?

_**Can I just say… WoW! You guys are really amazing… thank you so, so, SO much for all the reviews, I guess the word incentive goes pretty far.  
**__**Also a big thank you for all the condolences I received, it was very, very sweet of you and I can't express how much it means to me.  
**__**Since you guys were so wonderful… here's the next CH – a full 3 days early. Not bad, huh? **_

_**Warning: I'm not sure what you guys expect from this chapter… hell I wasn't even sure what I expected from this chapter, but unfortunately there will be no flying fists. There will be some men being asses and a lot of angsty confusion. I'm not sure why… but yeah, there it is.  
**__**Next chapter should be back to action, and yes, before you ask, I've already started it. :) **__**I hope you guys enjoy…**_

_**P.S. Usual disclaimers apply**_

* * *

I watched in dazed fascination as every pair of eyes in the room widened, locking onto my hand that was placed in the timeless stance of a mother protecting her unborn child. My arm immediately jumped behind my back, but it was a vain attempt to cover up something of that caliber. Honestly, who did I think I was kidding? I was pretty sure I heard a sigh, or what would be a Ranger equivalent to a sigh, come from my left, but I didn't take the chance to glance. I was too busy floundering for ways to make my exit through a room full of highly trained, paranoid, large men blocking my escape. I _so_ did not need this right now…

"Shit is right! Talk about double duty!" Lester's voice interrupted my musings with a shit-eating grin and a tinge of laughter in his voice. _Oh boy_… I hadn't even _considered_ the Merry Men in this whole thing! I was never going anywhere without escorts again!

"_Shit_?" Joe interrupted my new freaked-out musings, his eyes wide and his face softened. "Cupcake, I think we need to-"

I had opened my mouth to cut Joe off, because now was not the right time for this conversation, especially not in front of an audience… especially _this_ audience, but Ranger effectively cut _me_ off, ending all conversation and the meeting.

"Proceed with searches, focusing on the perps Stephanie presented. We'll meet again when P.D. gets back to us."

I watched with a growing sense of trepidation as the room emptied, Lester still grinning and Tank looking like he ate a damn canary (I had a feeling Lula would know the situation within 2 minutes)… leaving me, Ranger, and Joe alone. No way is this going to be good. If I thought testosterone had been bad during the Scrog incident when they had both been in my tiny apartment together with high emotions, I obviously had no idea the level these two men could create.

Joe started towards me but then his eyes flicked to where Ranger's hand was still gripped in mine, and stopped.

"Do you mind?" Joe inquired, a bit rudely if you ask me, while glaring at Ranger.

"Anything you have to say you can say in front of me."

Joe's face hardened and I momentarily debated whether or not I should just leave the two of them alone to duke it out… it was a long time coming, and judging from the tension in the room they would both appreciate the opportunity.

Even as I thought it, I knew I couldn't… whether I liked it or not, I needed to clear the air with Joe. He deserved that, and the sooner he knew, the better it would be in the long run. I didn't want him wandering around thinking I was pregnant with his baby.

Even if the last thing I needed was yet _another_ emotional conversation experience.

"It's okay… I need to talk to Joe." I interrupted, cutting off Morelli's response, which, judging by the vein in his forehead and the redness of his face, would have only succeeded in escalating things even more. For some reason he seemed intent on provoking Ranger today, and that simply did not bode well for our conversation I realized with a sigh.

I felt Ranger tense, and I squeezed his hand in reassurance. I'm not sure what was bothering him, but I was safe with Morelli, and there were things we needed to air out between us privately. There are some things that simply do not require an audience, even an audience of one.

Looking down into his face, I had thought Ranger's blank expression had been in attendance since we arrived on the conference floor of the building, but at my words, watching a cold hardness slam into the blank face, I realized I had been wrong. Obviously there were levels of the blank look, and I didn't like this one at all. This one looked as if it was reserved for enemies… you could almost see the thick wall of ice block out any trace of emotion.

In an instant he had become the mercenary Joe always accused him of being... indifferent and uncaring.

My mouth opened in shock, prepared to… well I'm not sure, but I knew I wanted to erase that look, except Ranger beat me to it. He nodded, untangling his hand from mine, standing up, and walking out of the room before my tongue even regained the ability to speak. I blinked a few times at the closed conference room door, feeling as if my life had suddenly been surrounded in a thick Trenton smog-induced fog.

"You're pregnant?" Joe's soft voice broke through the haze, and I sighed at the hopeful tone.

"I don't know for sure if I am Joe." I prayed, even though I knew it was useless, that he would leave it at that. But Joe hadn't been a detective for nothing.

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you late?"

I grimaced, knowing exactly what he was thinking… and it tore at my heart to ruin it for him. He could count the days/months since we'd been apart all he wanted, but it wouldn't make him the father.

You probably think I'm crazy, freaking out so prematurely about this baby thing, but trust me. Even though the baby would only be around 24 hours old, I have only a 1 doubt it's not there. I mean, hello… this is Batman sperm. Ranger's little swimmers probably shoot out on a BatBoat (jet boat I'm sure) like machine gun bullets with lock picking kits to ensure their entrance. Oh yea, I know for sure I have a BatBaby in there, even if it is only 24 hours old. Problem is… how do I explain that to other people without looking like I belong in Bedlam? Certain people, i.e. Grandma & Lula, would completely understand… Morelli – not so much.

Which meant I was going to have to go with brutal honesty.

"No, I'm not late… yet." My eyes pleaded with him not to ask anymore details. I may not be _in love_ with Joe anymore, but I would always care about him, and I really, really didn't want to explain that I'd had Doomsday Orgasms all weekend long without protection. That would be the epitome of TMI. Even without the words being spoken though, I saw the knowledge seep into his chocolate eyes.

_Shit._

"I should have known." I didn't like the tone of his voice, sarcastic and self-depreciating, stabbing at my conscience. "I hope you know what you're doing Cupcake… what you're getting into, and with _whom_."

"Hardly any of your business anymore, is it Morelli?" Ranger's voice intruded before I could defend him, and I shot him a glare as he stood in the doorway. Joe turned his head towards him, and despite my huffs and glares, they both ignored me for their second stare-down of the day.

"Maybe… better question would be, for how long?"

Ranger stiffened, but didn't respond.

I watched in silence as the second man within the past half hour nodded stiffly, face closed and hard, and turned around to walk away from me, body tense with anger.

I bit my lip, wondering which option Morelli was talking about exactly. Did he mean when Ranger left me… or did he think I would be leaving Ranger to come back to him?

God, when had my life become so damn confusing? Why can't my life be normal? Why does my body scream out information I would like to keep secret? Why do I say all my embarrassing thoughts out loud for everyone to hear? And more importantly… how do I manage to screw up my personal life so much?

I didn't want to hurt Joe, which I knew I was doing. For years he had pressured me about settling down so we could start a family, it was so important to him… and now here I was knocked up within a weekend with Ranger. Ranger, a man who, as far as I knew, had probably preferred to never have another child again. Despite the earlier emotion and comments, I was having a hard time picturing Ranger being happy about this… and what did it really mean for us in the long run? Were we simply going to have a child out of wedlock, or would he marry me like he did Rachel? And if he did, were we going to end up the same way they did? He had hinted it wouldn't be the same, but how could I know that for sure? I don't even know a thing about his family other than a few randomly mentioned names.

My mind was spiraling, the thoughts of what I did & didn't know… of what had been said and left unsaid, jumbling and spinning around inside of me to the point of nausea. I slid down the wall, staring at the bare white walls, the heaviness of everything forcing my body into a crouching ball on the floor. The meeting room was cold and impersonal, and it only succeeded in making me feel worse.

Ranger chose that moment to start towards me, eyebrow raised and hard blank face firmly in place.

"Who are you?" I asked, blurting out my whirling thoughts and visibly startling him into a dead stop halfway into the room. His face was still hiding his expressions, and if anything my question seemed to tense him even more.

"Is that _Morelli_ asking, or _you_?"

* * *

Okay, I know Ranger's acting kinda annoyingly rude... but, trust me :)


	18. Painful Truths

_**Have I ever mentioned how great you guys are? :D  
Really though, you guys have been so sweet with all the great reviews and comments, I managed to get the next CH out on my usual day. Early in the day too, not even at night! And it's all because of your guys' encouraging words...  
I guess I can be bribed... who knew.  
**__**So, without further ado… I hope you enjoy!**_

_**Oh, and the usual disclaimers still apply: these are not my characters, I'm borrowing them from JE so that Ranger gets some love.**_

* * *

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" And I didn't mean only the words, but the coolness in his tone as well.

Ranger didn't bother to answer, only gave a slight shrug and looked at me with the impassiveness one reserves for the sloth habitat at the zoo: you feel like you should look, just in case it does something interesting, but highly skeptical you're not wasting your time.

He was annoying me, but for some reason my temper just wouldn't spark. I felt too tired, too depressed, and entirely too confused about everything to even get up the energy for an argument with Batman. I frowned at him instead, letting my mind wander.

I was beginning to think this entire weekend has been nothing but a weird alternate-universe dream… because _nothing_ is making sense anymore. My life had always been a jumbled mess, but this was getting ridiculous. Unless, of course, this was an example of what my life was going to become. Hell, maybe it was only going to get progressively worse. I'd get knocked up, become Mrs. Manoso (I ignored the flutter in my belly at that thought), live a crazy life full of psychotic killers and Merry Men protectors, until Ranger got bored and I was a second time divorcee, alone with a BatBaby.

Okay, I thought as tears welled up in my eyes… so that's a tad 'glass half empty', but come on… I've been taking massive gulps out of that glass lately for fucks-sake and there is no way it's anywhere near full anymore.

"Steph?" Ranger asked uncertainly, coming to a crouch in front of me.

Steph… not babe. Well, didn't that just sum it all up perfectly.

Suddenly the threatening tears were a waterfall that I couldn't hold back, no matter how hard I tried. I didn't want to cry in front of Ranger, I don't like to cry in front of _anyone_… I am not what you would call an attractive crier. My nose turns red and drippy, my face blotchy, my eyes puffy… just thinking about it had me ducking my face into my crossed arms that were resting against my knees.

"Babe?" I heard again, this time with more emotion coloring the voice.

Seconds later, after my lack of response, I felt arms wrap around me. Ranger pulled me towards him so that I was on his lap and his back was to the wall, my face buried in his Bulgari scented shirt, cocooned in his muscles. It hardly took any time at all wrapped in Ranger's strength and scent like a comforting blanket for the tears to slow and my breathing reduce itself to hitching only slightly.

I didn't know what to say after that, and I was afraid to break the easy silence that had fallen around us. Part of me wanted to hash out whatever strange emotions we obviously were both experiencing… and a larger part of me wanted to ignore this afternoon had happened at all.

Ranger, of course, had no such qualms, and made the decision for us.

"Is it Morelli?"

I wasn't sure what it was he was asking me, in that soft pained voice, and so I stayed silent, attempting to figure it out.

It was about the same time I realized that he was asking me if having Joe walk out on me like that was the reason behind my break down, that he set me from his lap and started unraveling his arms. I clutched his hand to stop him from getting up, shaking my head silently but unable to speak the protest aloud. Not because I didn't mean it, but because I was inexplicably more confused than I was even a few moments ago! My head felt as if it was about to explode from the tornado of confusing thoughts. Had it been my imagination, or had the emotion seeping through Ranger's blank face actually been _jealousy_? No, Batman couldn't be jealous… could he?

With that thought, suddenly all the confusing behavior on his part since the intercom had spurted Joe's name, made sense. Well, made sense in a fucked up, paranoid, jealous way at least.

"Jeez, for someone who people refer to as The Wizard, you sure are dense sometimes."

I spoke the words before I thought better of them, and my eyes widened, as did his, in surprise. I was about to get up and find a hiding place (harder to crate me off to a third world country), hopefully making it to the door before Ranger caught up with me when he recovered.

"What does _that_ mean?" He spoke as if his jaw was wired shut, biting the words out as sentences themselves, but Stupid-Stephanie failed to notice… or care.

"It _means_ that you are acting ridiculously jealous!" I couldn't help but add some incredulousness into my tone, because saying it out loud sounded even more ridiculous than it did in my head.

"You wouldn't have told him anything about us." Ranger stated, startling me with the statement. I didn't know how to respond to that, since I wasn't quite sure about the answer myself.

"Well… We'll never know, will we, since you butted in!"

"Are you trying to say you would have?" There was a distinct challenge in that question.

"If I _had_ to, yes…" my voice softened, as I tried to explain something I wasn't even sure I understood.

"Of course I was trying to get my point across without as much details as possible, because there's no point in causing him even more pain that he was already bound to feel."

Ranger's mouth opened at that, his eyes flashing dangerously, but I cut him off.

"Come on Ranger… you know he's had it in his head forever about us… and he has very strong feelings regarding me being involved with you on _any_ level. He was going to be uncomfortable about this to begin with… so _excuse me_ if I didn't paint an unnecessary vivid picture of my sex life this past weekend for him."

Huh, I guess I wasn't too depressed to get fired up after all. So fired up in fact, that when Ranger didn't respond immediately, Stupid-Stephanie forged full steam ahead.

"Honestly, until this moment right now, when you so desperately wanted me to do nothing more than make a friend I've known my entire life feel as horrible as I could, you've never acted like the heartless mercenary he always accused you of being."

Smart-Stephanie gasped, burying her face in her hands and praying that third world countries had TastyKakes.

"The _entire building_ expected you to leave with him today, why do you think Ram was ready to knock him unconscious?"

That was when Smart-Stephanie got a little angry herself, and I ignored the tears that prickled my eyes at the implication.

"Well I'm glad you all look at me in such a way, that I would spend a weekend screwing one man only to leave days later with another."

"Look at your history!" Ranger burst out, making my body jump. I didn't think I had ever heard Ranger raise his voice before, and honestly… I never wanted to hear it again.

"We've _all_ seen you stay here for days only to run back to him as if nothing had changed."

At those words… oh god, at those horribly truthful words, it seemed that the anger drained out of both of us simultaneously. Those damn tear pricks started up again as the reality of my previous actions slapped me in the face. I had always held a dose of guilt for my double dipping, but I had never thought about how my actions had affected everyone else. I had been the selfish one, using denial to erase my own guilt and confusion, but remained stubbornly ignorant to everyone else's thoughts or feelings.

"You can't blame me for trying to keep him from convincing you to leave, mercenary trait or not." Ranger started softly, his eyes and face without the mask so that I was plainly able to see the strain. "Besides, you just decided you wanted me, I wasn't about to let go so easy of something I've been waiting for for so long."

I leaned my head to the right, a few of the tears escaping as I used Ranger's shoulder as a pillow. It was a hard pillow, honestly, but the touch gave me the strength to ask the question that simply begged to be answered after a statement like that.

"If that's the truth, then why did you send me back _to_ Morelli?"

I couldn't believe I had gathered the courage to ask, let alone control the flinch that would usually come so easily whenever I thought back to that point in time. I may not have been in love with him back then, but the sting of rejection had never lessened. His body turned towards mine slightly, and I could feel the power of his eyes on the top of my head. I took a deep breath before tilting my chin and meeting his gaze.

"Because," he started, gently tucking a wayward curl behind my ear, "I had convinced myself that I would be better for you as a memory."

"Oh."

Yup, that's me… the queen of eloquence. Who was I kidding, I could hardly breathe right now, let alone consider being witty. Our faces were only inches apart, the blood pumping anger transformed into another powerful emotion that caused the same shortness of breath.

Ranger opened his mouth, only God knows what he could say to top that, but there was a brisk hard knock at the door, followed by Tank's booming voice.

"Enter."

Ranger was on his feet in one lithe movement before my head had rotated towards the door. I was almost grateful for the interruption, because I had a feeling I was getting way out of my league here. If we had been left alone any longer, I might have begun confessing things I wasn't sure I was ready to confess.

"Boss…" Tank's form overtook the now open doorframe, his face impassive as usual. "The P.D.'s report is being faxed over."

Ranger head nodded almost imperceptivity, dismissing Tank before turning his head towards me.

"Let me guess… time to catch the bad guy?"

"Babe."

* * *

_**P.S. – hate it? Love it? Too angsty? Time for some fun again??**_

_**P.P.S. – I wanted to give props to those of you who had foreseen the reason behind Ranger's bad attitude. You ladies are good… you know who you are. **_

_**:D**_


	19. Yes, No Maybe So?

_**Okay, sorry in advance… my muse is either too busy or on vacation. She won't return my calls to even let me know which one it is.  
:D  
I hope you enjoy, and to make up for this crappy post (although I made the deadline at least!) I'll try and get the next chapter out before next Thursday. My treat.**_

_**Oh, and Rae, BlessedBabe, and Hallie – Thanks so much for the review ladies! I hadn't gotten back to you yet, but I did get them and appreciate them SO much…  
:D**_

_**Usual disclaimers & crap still apply.**_

* * *

"That's a 'we're not done with this conversation' version of 'Babe'... isn't it?" I asked, watching Ranger warily.

"Not even close."

I let out a sigh as I followed him out the doorway and down the hallway, back to the original 'scene of the conference room crime' as it were.

My mind was still circling around the 'memory' comment – unsure of how to perceive it. A part of me was outraged he had simply taken control and made the decision himself… part of me understood in a really odd way… and the other part had swelled thinking of what it _meant_.  
How was it that I had gone so long without hardly any sort of emotional outbursts with him, and all of a sudden, we were having multiple heart-to-heart soul baring conversations in a single weekend! I hadn't been outside of the Haywood building, but I was starting to seriously wonder if any other signs of the end of the world as we know it were happening.

Of course, getting knocked up by Batman/Wizard/Man of Fucking Mystery was probably first on that list of apocalyptic signs.

"Besides the expected prints, PD picked up two unknowns – one of which checked into AFIS." Tank reported as soon as everyone had taken their seats.

"Name."

"Bernard Jackson."

My cringe must have been vividly evident because I felt the force of a roomful of intense eyes land on me instantly.

"Babe."

"I caught him about a week ago... I don't know if he's in jail still or not."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, on a sigh I might add, a MerryMan left the room, assumedly to get a current list of Trenton PD residents. I tried to avoid the pressure of the questioning look Ranger was sending to the top of my bowed head… but I guess I'm pretty weak when it comes to certain Batman interrogation tactics.

"Sorry, I forgot about him for our list – he seemed fairly harmless… although damned slippery, until he broke into my apartment one night. Luckily, I had forgotten to clean up and he sort of tripped over the clothes on my bedroom floor… I guess nylons and heels are pretty dangerous… and woke me up and he freaked out at my scream of bloody murder and stun gun and left."

Everyone kindly stayed silent, although there were a lot of amazed blinks, at my rambling explanation. Well, almost everyone, I'm pretty sure Lester let out a bark of laughter, but wisely covered it with a cough. And I'm almost certain I heard a sigh from Ranger's direction that I felt like sharing with him.

Now, I had been through some emotionally turbulent and excessively scary experiences in my life… but I didn't think I had ever felt so emotionally drained. My brain wouldn't stop working in overdrive, attempting to solve the numerous riddles of my life – not to mention the people in it, and my body… well let's not even go _there_. The MerryMen's eyes that were now repeatedly going there was already too much, I didn't need to join them in examining my stomach looking for the damn Bat-Signal.

The Merry Man who had gone to find out about Jackson returned, breaking the uncomfortable silence that seemed to be focused on me (or, more importantly, my belly) and reported that Jackson was indeed still in jail – unable to make bond.

Comforting, since Jackson had made my skin crawl and I didn't like the thought of him anywhere near my apartment again. Uncomforting because that meant I was still on lockdown thanks to a mysterious Bombshell Fan.

"We'll meet again at 1100 with findings. Dismissed."

The dismissal brought my eyes to where Ranger was sitting beside me and I was shocked to see he actually looked exasperated… and I think there was a slight frown hovering around his lips. Huh. I wonder if that means Batman was as emotionally exhausted as I was. Although, that didn't really explain why he was glaring at his men… but as long as I got to relax now I didn't really care. And then his eyes met mine and I remembered he wanted to finish yet another emotion-y discussion. With me.

_Shit_.

I was going to be a puddle of hideous emotional goo soon if this kept up. I was going to need sustenance… lots of sustenance… like cake. Oooh, and Pino's. OH, even better, cake, Pino's, Ben & Jerry's, Tastykakes and pizza. And beer. Beer would be _fantastic_.

"Babe." Ranger's head was shaking back and forth when I emerged from my food induced haze. "You'll unquestionably be goo after eating all of that."

Damn ESP.

"I need a dose of happy." I replied defensively. Truthfully too, I might add. "And a nap."

"Come on, you can ask Ella to fix you something while we talk." Ranger overrode whatever response I had been about to say regarding this 'talking' business by pulling me to my feet beside him. His hands lingered, his body slid closer to mine, and his eyes darkened with that exclusive Cuban passion. "_Then_ I'll help you relax."

And I was officially goo.

My legs barely worked well enough to walk myself to the elevator, but I made it, with Ranger's help of course. He pulled me in after him, placing my body in front of his, my back to his front, wedged in the corner of the fast moving steel box. He was a solid rock behind me, and yes… I do mean every inch of him… but the softness of the kisses that he placed on the side of my neck floored me more than the force of the elevator. The entire left side of my body began a race with chills, starting from the point right below my ear and ending at the tips of my pedicure-needing toes.

I let out a small moan and my hips arched into his groin of their own accord, causing Ranger's hand to grip my waist in a surge that couldn't be anything except a fight for control. I was about to make it my mission to see how far I could push his control standing in his monitored elevator in the middle of the workday when the doors swished open with a startling noise. Ranger took advantage of my distraction to practically carry me to his door and into his apartment. He bypassed the bed, I noticed with a frown, and went straight for the large sectional couch. The sight of which brightened my mood… as I momentarily reminisced about the memories I had on said couch… which of course brought me back to one of the biggest problems at hand, ya know, that thing that I wasn't thinking about that was caused by unprotected balls to the wall sex.

I let out a sigh and felt Ranger stiffen behind me. Yup… _that_.

I was starting to wonder if _that_ was the reason behind Ranger's sudden need to have so much _talking_. It went without saying he had never been much of a conversationalist before all this… made me wonder if all I had to do for the past few years to get the man to open up was simply have him knock me up. Genius, right? Okay… so I'm avoiding the issue at hand, give me a break.

"Babe."

"I wish I had known that all I had had to do in the past to get you to open up was to simply get knocked up. I should have poked holes in your condom that night."

Uh-Oh… I _really_ hadn't wanted to say that out loud to Ranger. This is what happens when someone interrupts my thought process! I need to find a deadbolt to hold my mouth shut! What the hell was I doing? I was suddenly a suicide mission Joe – provoking the beast!

My craziness must have been shining through my face like a damn flood light because Ranger actually smiled a little as he shook his head, sitting me down on that damned hormone inducing couch and turning back towards the kitchen. I sank into the cushions, enjoying the view of Ranger's retreating back side, not even caring about the damn conversation anymore as long as I didn't get shipped off in a crate to destinations best left alone. Hell, if this kind of behavior kept up, I might stop worrying about getting shipped off permanently! I mean, hellloooo, it's not like he could deport the mother of his child… could he?

Of course, relief was short lived, because as soon as Ranger joined me on that damned couch my nerves came back full force. Did I really want to do this? Could I really have a soul bearing, heart on a platter ready to be nuked conversation with _Batman_? Batman doesn't do relationships. Batman doesn't even do family – except for the Butler guy, and come on… he worked for Batman. Oh crap, _I_ work for Batman… surrounded by mini-Batman's… all of whom won't let me walk as soon as my stomach gets big enough… oh Lord, my huge, fat belly! A belly made huge by a man who had decided years back that he would make a good memory for me. A memory. Of course, a memory that refused to abandon itself, a memory followed by little tastes that made said memory impossible to completely forget… or even impossible to shove into denial land.

I was working myself into a hyperventilating ball of fury when Ranger placed a hand on my knee, followed by a softly murmured "Babe."

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes as if I was on the scariest roller coaster ever made (which felt like an accurate analogy), and nodded slightly in acquiesce to the silently uttered plea that had accompanied the 'Babe'.

"Okay… what do you want to talk about?"


	20. Retail Therapy

_**Okay, so, like I promised, here is a new chapter early. Again! I'm so good. Hopefully it's an improvement from the last one... it's a little longer, my muse was sort of popping in and out, and you will be happy to know that I didn't even leave you on TOO much of a cliffhanger. I can't seem to stop completely, but my Cliffhanger Rehab is going well enough that it's not too mean. I hope.  
**__**:D enjoy!**_

_**Usual disclaimers still apply, I'm simply borrowing the characters so that I can have my naughty way with them.**_

* * *

"This is about Joe isn't it?" I asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen. I didn't really want to _talk, _especially after the elevator stint… but I _really_ didn't want to sit in uncomfortable silence either. And honestly, I was praying this talk would be about Joe… because I didn't know if I could handle the other… _BatEvent_… that had come up between us. The one I was avoiding thinking about.

"_Should_ it be?" Ranger asked, studying my face with an intensity that made me squirm, annoying me almost as much as the reply that came from his mouth.

"Do you always have to talk in riddles?! Plain English would work perfectly, thank you." Obviously Stupid-Stephanie had to make an appearance, but she did have a point, and Ranger must have agreed, because there was a slight smile wafting over his lips.

"In English… a _large part_ of my concern would be Morelli."

The words stumbled out, visibly difficult for him to admit, and the realization stunned me into shocked silence. Batman had truly been _jealous_? The mere idea seemed ridiculously absurd, and I had to battle the urge to burst into laughter.

The smile, however, I couldn't contain.

And then I'll blame Ranger's narrowed eyes centered on my smiling lips for the laughter that seeped out from behind that grin. He might not be happy I found it funny, but it certainly helped relieve the pressure of the situation. My still slightly coiled nerves unwound themselves instantly.

"That's funny?"

"Well… yeah, _Batman_." I replied before I had thought better of it.

The flashing red warning light was apparently out of order, giving my mouth free reign.

"What are you trying to say?"

"That you're Batman! Batman has a different love interest each time you see him – he doesn't _do_ relationships either." Another piece of laughter burst out. "And he was certainly never _jealous_ of anyone."

"When are you going to stop comparing me to a damn comic book?!" Ranger's voice was harsh, and the laughter in the room died a quick death. "_That_ is not who _I _am."

"Actually, I'm comparing it on personal experience from our history." I answered quietly. "How can you _not_ realize every comment, every action you have made screamed 'don't count on me to be faithful/husband/family material'? In fact, didn't you literally say as much? 'Don't count on me to be your meat & potatoes' crap doesn't get much clearer regarding your intentions."

He cringed at the words, but only momentarily.

"So did you expect professions of love while you were sharing another man's bed then? Would _that_ have been more conducive to your plans than my halfhearted attempts to keep things between us trivial?"

It was my turn to cringe, but he was right.

"You can't hold me responsible for setting boundaries while you were already involved with someone else." He paused, pinning me with his eyes. "And you've conveniently forgotten all the things I didn't say with words… or even all the things I did allow myself to say, that proved my other comments wrong."

I cocked an eyebrow in question, okay… _both_ eyebrows, in question.

"I know you haven't forgotten the morning in your bed during Scrog, when we were interrupted."

I could feel the flush overtake my body at the heat burning in his eyes, and I squirmed in my seat at the memory alone.

"Scrog was a pivotal point for a lot of reasons… I mean, there was confessions, close calls, a truckload of sexual tension, emotions, information about the man behind the mask – there were so many of your damn boundaries crossed during that period of time that it overshadowed even the Slayer incident in terms of mile markers for the loosely phrased 'us'."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. Having a heart to heart with Ranger was probably harder than I had even expected… considering our past.

"And then you… _no_, I hold some blame too… and then we both went into denial and pretended none of it happened, emotionally pulling away again."

I was blindly staring at the carpet, viewing Ranger and I through the years as if from someone else's eyes. It was amazing how similar we seemed regarding certain things from this point of view. Seriously, we were closely matched in our commitment phobia and denial techniques.

"I _had_ to pull back… don't you understand?" he asked harshly, drawing me back to the moment and into his tormented eyes. "I almost lost you… _irrevocably_… both you _and_ my daughter could have been taken from my life in the blink of an eye because of _me_."

I opened my mouth to argue, because I really didn't like that he thought of the situation like that… but I could give you 3 guesses what happened next, and you'd only need one.

Uh-huh… the shrill ring of Ranger's cell cut me off before I even had the chance to begin.

Again.

I contemplated shooting it. Not that I had a gun, but I could possibly finagle one of Ranger's off his body…

Which would be fun in and of itself.

"Yo."

Of course, I'd have to rip the phone from his ear first, which went without saying would be a tad difficult.

"_Shit_."

I blinked at Ranger's curse and realized he had jumped to his feet, flipping the phone shut with a show of force that made the phone look damn impressive for standing up to it.

"There was a breach at a client location and Cal just called in shots fired… I'll be back as soon as I can." He paused, his eyes turning brewing with something I couldn't identify as he yanked me to my feet. "Babe, please stay here and be safe… you can argue with me when I get back."

_Damn ESP_.

His lips melted against mine, nothing more than an overheated second of mating before he was out the door… time to get the bad guys.

The bad guys… my dopey, Ranger kiss induced smile fading… the _bad guys_ with _guns_. _Oh Lordy_.

My feet paced in front of the couch as my fingernails made their way between my teeth nervously. I attempted to calm myself down. I mean, it's not like I didn't know what Ranger did for a living. It's not as if I didn't know that he was regularly shot at. So why did this feel different? Because I knew the details? Or was it because we had become so emotionally in depth with each other suddenly? I cringed, thinking about the other possibility for my freaking out… the one inside my stomach that I was avoiding thinking about.

My feet stopped their pacing suddenly as my direction of thoughts switched courses. Ranger hadn't even mentioned, hell, he hadn't even _alluded_ to… _that_. What was that supposed to mean? I mean, I hadn't wanted to talk about the possibility of… a mini-Bat, or what might come along with it, but I would have bet my money on the fact that it would have been at the forefront of _Ranger's_ mental list of things to discuss. So what did it mean that it wasn't? That his jealousy and Joe was what he was mainly concerned about? My chest tightened as if someone was slowly twisting a knife into it.

Maybe I didn't know the Man of Mystery as well as I thought.

I couldn't think clearly, there were too many thoughts running around aimlessly in my head, and I knew only one thing…and person… that could possibly help me right now.

_**(( I COULD SO LEAVE YOU HANGING HERE… BUT I WON'T. I GUESS… ))**_

I ran to my purse and snatched my phone, impatiently tapping my foot as I waited for it to turn on.

I hit speed dial 3, regaining my pacing as I waited.

"Lula!"

"White girl… where you been, how are we supposed to get the gossip if you're hidin' youself with Batman? Did you get measurements?"

"Lula, I'll explain later, right now I need retail therapy _Badly_…" I paused, realizing I was on lockdown. "And a covert pick up from the RangeMan building!"

"You on lockdown _again_ girl – man, I guess the rumor of you havin' a new stalker is for real then? Does that mean my man's little comment might be true then too?!"

"Yes… and yes… and maybe, damnit Lula, just pick me up at the corner in 10 minutes, _please_."

"Do I get a drawing with measurements?" Lula asked after a beat of silence.

"_Unh…_ _Lula_! This is serious!"

Silence.

"Fine, but hurry!"

As Lula agreed I attempted to figure out a way to escape the MerryMen babysitters of the building. Of course, I could assume a large number of them went to the… _shootout_. I shivered at the word, or more importantly the images the word conjured up. Okay, so there at least probably less MerryMen to deal with and I could probably sweet talk my way past some of the ones who didn't know me too well.

I slipped my feet into the black kitten heeled sandals Ranger had grabbed for me as I was plotting, eyeing my purse with distaste. There was no way I'd be able to convince anyone I wasn't leaving the building holding it, so I dug my essentials out: lipgloss, credit cards, ID – in case retail therapy turned into liquor therapy, my RangeMan key-fobber thing, and last but not least my pen tracker – because I didn't want to piss Ranger off any more than he already would be… and shoved them into the pockets of my jeans.

I hightailed it out the door and into the elevator, my cell phone still in my hand, attempting to look as bored and innocent as possible. I hit the button for floor five, as part of my deception, and meandered out slowly. I knew there were obviously a couple of guys on the monitors, but I was lucky enough not to see any other MerryMen lurking around the corridors. Perfect. I crossed my fingers, hoping the guys left to the monitors hadn't been warned about me as I meandered around the corner.

Perfect… two strangers. Hot, muscular, bored as hell strangers… but strangers. I put on my most sexily innocent smile, conjuring my inner naughty schoolgirl as I swung my hips to the side of the counter. I thanked Ella's tight, almost too short, RangeMan polo she had bought me when they both blinked a few times in the general shirt region. I waited for them to finally remember I had a face… or that I had been staying on the seventh floor – whichever, with a tapping foot and strained smile that went completely unnoticed. It took me clearing my throat to get their attention and I made a mental note that perhaps Ranger should allow them to be around women more often, because they were obviously going through withdrawals if I was being looked at like lunch in my current depressingly un-Jersey-girl'd state.

"Hey boys…" I used my best Marilyn Monroe/Scarlett O'Hara voice that I hoped sounded as sexy as I thought. I focused my attention on the one seated nearest to me that looked like a muscle hunk version of a thirteen year old. "Do you know if they trucks are all unlocked in the garage? I think I lost my lipstick between the seats, because Ranger just told me he hadn't seen it anywhere else."

I was so going to hell for being such a good liar, I thought, gesturing to the general area of the garage with my cell phone.

"Ummm… yeah… yes, they stay unlocked." I cocked a hip out and his eyes reverted back to my body instead of my face, which I guess worked for my mission at hand. "I – I can go get it for you, m'am."

Okay, he might have possessed a sexy southern accent, but the m'am thing wasn't acceptable – did I look like I was someone's mother for criminy sakes? _Oh Boy…_ I _AM_ a _m'am_!

My fingers clinched but I forced my voice back to at least semi sexy/sweet.

"Oh I couldn't have you do that, you two have such _important_ jobs up here... Ranger would have my ass for pulling you away for a tube of lipstick!" I almost gagged myself on the overly syrupy lie but forced myself to throw in a saucy little wink. "I'll just run down and check… thanks though boys." I forced my legs to swing back and forth and not run back towards the elevator, well aware that I was being drooled after. I strained to keep my innocent façade up for the elevator ride down, fidgeting with my shirt over my stomach as the word m'am kept running through my head.

_Damn Bat Sperm._

**_Better ?_**

* * *


	21. Come Back In One Piece

_**HA… I can tell you right now, you guys are so gonna kill me…**__**  
**__**Anyways, hope ya'll enjoy. The muse is feeling funky… not bad… just… odd. You'll see.**_

_**Oh, and before I forget…  
**__**WARNING ( HERMIT HIDEAWAY, PAY ATTENTION) beware ingesting any liquids while reading. Choking and computer damage may occur, and that's not good. We will now bring you back to your regular scheduled reading.  
**__**:D**_

**_Usual Disclaimers STILL Apply_**

* * *

I heard Lula's car before I saw her parked at the curb on the corner. Not that that was unusual, but it brought a smile to my face. I could count on Lula for a good dose of happy, including lots of unhealthy food and straight up, _non-judgmental_, advice for my problems. Of course, that meant I was going to have to come clean about everything, while trying to avoid measurement specifics, but it would be worth it. If I didn't share this problem with someone soon I was going to explode. I scurried into the passenger seat and yelled for pedal to the metal, checking for stealth men in black tailing me. I guess my hide & seek with the cameras in the garage had worked, at least for the next few minutes - thank god the Rangeman vehicles were large and bulky because that made them perfect hiding tools.

"Girlfriend, Batman is going to send your white ass to a third world country without donuts if you keep sneaking away from lockdown like this."

"I know, I know… I just couldn't help it!" I yelled over the pounding bass. "I was going crazy!" Lula grunted in assent, as if she understood.

"Uh-huh, just don't let Batman ship me off with ya – I need my donuts and Tank lovin'." Lula commented between songs. I snorted, but it was cut off by the start of the next song on Lula's CD. With the volume too loud to talk, I found myself actually listening to the lyrics. Oddly enough – and against my will, the bass thumping rap song brought tears shot to my eyes.

_DMX  
Baby I am what I am, I'm gon' be who I be  
Everything from chasing a cat to pissing on a tree  
Let me see what I gotta to see  
Do what I gotta to do  
Dog for life but keep it true  
Every once in a while I'll break out the backyard to roam  
And get reckless  
But I still know that home is home  
And when I get there I'mma sit there  
Take a shit there put my dick there  
Do I handle my business?  
Shit yeah  
I'mma run till I bust my gun and empty the clip  
Never come home, I gotta go just gimme the whip  
I ain't got time for the lip  
Just open the fence  
Let me go I'll come back  
I ain't got time to convince  
Ever since I was a pup  
I've been stuck with the street shit  
Keep the heat shit  
Fuck it nigga gotta eat  
I past on a weak shit  
If it's out there I want it  
All at one time  
So when it's my time I've done it  
_

My thoughts instantly were on Ranger, and the MerryMen, who I had grown to love over the years. The men who were at this very moment risking their lives for the safety of others. I'd always made things difficult for all of them, like now, when all they were doing was saving the world one scumbag at a time. I bit my lip, staring blindly out the window at the passing scenery as I continued to listen.  
_Aaliyah  
I know you'll kill for me  
You'll die you me  
I know you like to rip and run the streets  
But I get nervous sometimes  
Ooh baby I can't help to think  
You might not make it __home__ to eat  
I barely sleep  
Could you pick up a phone and call me at home?  
And let me know you ain't in some heat  
And don't go crying, you're grown  
You know I'm looking out for you  
Cause you be looking out for me, me, me  
_

_Chorus  
Yo you can__ go with your dogs  
If you make this promise to me  
You make it back in one piece  
So you can go with your dogs  
If you make this promise to me  
You make it back in one piece  
'Fore you go betting it all  
If you make this promise to me  
You make it back in one piece  
I know you up in it all  
If you make this promise to me  
You make it back in one piece_

Aaliyah(DMX)  
And oh boy I know you got to do what you do, ooh-ooh  
You're making moves, I'm makin' moves yo we cool  
(What? What? What?)  
Lay on your paws I got your back if you fall, hey-hey  
Nothing's to big, nothing's to small just go ball, yeah

I didn't even try to pretend I didn't have tears streaming down my face at this point, not caring if Lula noticed or not. They started in earnest at the words 'kill for me' and 'die for me' – and there was no stopping them now. Unbelievably enough, this song I hadn't even known existed – sung by two people I didn't even know the names of, represented everything I was feeling. I felt like that one thing was what had been missing from my sort-of relationship with Ranger, was the fact that I never did get those promises to come home safely to me. Ranger never hid the fact that he was risking his life every single day, and I understood that, to a point. I craved to hear the words that, no matter what, he would protect himself enough to make it back in one piece.

_  
DMX  
Uh dog tags around my neck the streets are mine  
I might leave the heat behind  
Cause in the streets I'm fine  
That's why niggas sleep till nine  
Out by ten back by ten  
Sleep till nine do it again  
If you love something let it go  
If it comes back to you it yours  
If it doesn't fuck it you'll never know  
You got me I got you, uh  
Dog with a dog, ride till we die  
If it's on then it's on  
_

That was _so_ Ranger, I thought through a tear blurred smile. The streets were definitely his… and his philosophy was easily recognizable as 'if you love something, let it go… if it comes back to you, it's yours'. I guess the real question was where we went from here. The problem with that one, I realized, was all me. I was running away again, but it was going to stop right here and now.

An idea began to spark in my mind, and I gnawed my lip, considering.

"Uhhh… white girl?" Lula's timid voice brought me back to the present, and I blinked to find us parked in the mall parking lot, with the car off. I hastily swiped at the tears on my face, sniffing pathetically.

"What song was that Lula?" I asked, my throat clogged with emotion.

"_Aaliyah & DMX – Come Back In One Piece_… why?" I don't shock Lula often, but I had to say she looked pretty damn confused at the moment. I shook my head, dismissing the question and flipped down the passenger seat visor in a vain attempt to fix the mess I had made of my face. I hate crying.

"Steph… girlfriend, what's wrong?" The genuine concern in Lula's voice almost had me crying again. Damnit, hadn't I heard your emotions went out of whack when you were pregnant? I didn't want to be a bawling mess of ugly red splotchy tears for nine months!

"_PREGNANT_?!"

_Oh Shit_. I said that out loud, I realized, as Lula and I shared a wide eyed stare.

"You had better start explainin' your skinny ass." Lula threatened, rhino mode brewing.

And I did. The entire thing spewed out of my mouth like… well if I wanted to get realistic, like morning sickness. Gross thought, but probably something in my future.

I told her about my epiphanies, I told her about informing Ranger about our relationship status and our ensuing date, I told her about the numerous bouts of sex with the least amount of details she would allow, I told her about forgetting my birth control, I told her about the stalker and Joe and Batman being jealous and the fact that he hadn't once mentioned the baby. By the time I had gotten to the shootout call in the midst of our talk Lula was frozen with her mouth hanging open in shock. Literally. I didn't think I had ever seen Lula so still.

And you know what she said when she regained the function of her mouth?

"You ran away with the BatBaby when there is a stalker loose on your skinny white BatGirl ass?!"

I smiled.

"Girl, you done gone nuts."

"Nope, I obviously needed this." I grinned at a blinking Lula.

"Take me back to Haywood if you would… because if you let it go, and it comes back to you, it's yours."

For once, Lula was speechless, but she did as I asked and put the car into reverse in a daze.

We were half way back to Haywood when Lula processed all the gossip I had just shared and found her tongue.

"Ha! This makes the present I had gotten for you that much better!" She burst out, taking her left hand off the wheel and digging around her backseat.

"What is this for?" I asked when she had thrown a plastic bag in my lap.

"I bought it for you after I found out about your date with Batman this past weekend." She grinned, bouncing (well, as much as the spandex would allow) in her seat with excitement. "Open it!"

I shook my head, and reached into the bag, pulling out a white small t-shirt. My first thought upon seeing the white cotton was that it was the most tame thing I would have ever pictured Lula buying for me… almost _too_ tame. Of course, that was until I unfolded it and looked at the silk screened picture on the front.

"Oh God." I squeezed my eyes shut, wondering if it would be different when I opened them back up. It didn't.

"Lula! I can't wear _this_!"

"Why not? It's hot – I bet Batman would get a kick out of it – if he don't ship you off to a third world nowhere."

She was right, Ranger would probably laugh out loud at the sight of the Batman logo with boobs and the words Batgirl above it. It didn't mean I could wear it in public – I'd never hear the end of it!  
**( ( GO TO MY PROFILE PAGE FOR A LINK TO A PICTURE OF THIS IMAGE ) )**

"Thanks Lula… I'll be sure to show Ranger and hopefully improve his mood." I grinned as I stuffed the shirt back into the bag, watching the RangeMan building approach.

"Ya know, if Batman don't mention marriage or that baby soon – you call me and we'll work on a plan. Lula will get you married with the Wizard whipped into shape in no time!"

"I appreciate it Lula, and I might have to take you up on it – I have a feeling things are going to be pretty hard for a while from here on out."

"Ya know what Jackie always said to me?" Lula inquired, pulling up to the curb. "Life is a dick… when it gets hard, fuck it." I blinked for a moment and then burst into laughter.

"I'll remember that."

"Yea, I'd remember that too if I had Batman in my bed."

I grinned as I opened the passenger side door, feeling ten million times better than I had when I escaped. I had good friends, a Batbaby, a man who loved me… even if we did need to work on some things, and the resolve that I was going to try and work on those things with him. Life was looking up… as long as I didn't get crated and shipped.

"Thanks Lula, for everything." I said as I slid from the seat, flashing her my brightest smile.

I waved from the sidewalk at her retreating car, and turned to the garage entrance of the RangeMan building with a deep breath. I couldn't tell if any new cars had arrived, but I hoped Ranger wasn't pissed and waiting upstairs for me. I had plans and that wasn't a part of them.

Ranger would lecture me I'm sure, because I was embarrassingly unaware of my surroundings, which is why I didn't hear or feel the person who suddenly appeared behind me, wrapping me tightly in a band of muscle.

* * *

**_I was right, wasn't I ?  
HA!_**

* * *


	22. Control

_**Well, I didn't mean to make you guys wait this long, but the next chapter ended up being a lot longer than I planned in order to get everything I wanted in it. This probablly means I won't be able to get the next Chapter out right away though.  
**__**& guess what… no cliffhanger again! Don't ya'll just love me?**_

**_Anyways, I hope you enjoy... oh, and  
_**_**WARNING, this chapter contains some angry smutty goodness - so beware of damp panties & Ranger Induced drool  
:D**_

* * *

I'm embarrassed to say that I actually squealed as I felt my feet being lifted off the solid ground by the steel band around my torso, another thing Ranger would probably raise an eyebrow to. My feet bicycled, my body squirmed like a worm on a hook, and I took a deep breath ready to scream bloody murder since my assailant hadn't covered my mouth.

That was, until I heard a familiar, if unexpected, word.

"_Jeez_, Cupcake, it's just me."

My body froze, processing that statement, before I started kicking and squirming in earnest. I was going to beat the shit out of him, or at least try my damnedest.

"Hey…" Joe grunted after I landed a kick. "I said it was _me_." His arms made the wise decision to unwrap themselves from around me and I immediately turned to face him and took two steps back. I added my worst 'Burg glare for good measure and had the satisfaction of seeing him frown.

"What the hell is wrong with you, sneaking up behind me and grabbing me like that Joe?!" I was already in full rhino mode, probably in record time for me, and had my hands on my hips to match the glare to prove it.

"Sorry, I came here to talk to you and found out you had skipped the place. The guys in there are going nuts by the way, thinking they're all dead meat for losing you. Of course, I'd feel the same way – you do realize you have a guy on the loose who wants nothing more than to kidnap and do horrible things to you, don't you? I figured I'd take advantage of the surprise when I saw you to make sure you didn't do something stupid again."

Joe was taking full advantage of my question to do his typical Italian rant. I think I actually growled a little bit when he made the stupid comment, but my head was worrying about the MerryMen and the uncomfortable guilt that had crept into my head.

"Why were you here to talk to me?" I asked suspiciously, glancing over my shoulder to the garage of RangeMan, thinking I should go in and apologize/calm down the guys as soon as possible.

I was distracted with a big sigh from Joe, who rubbed his hands over his face. This intrigued me, because Joe rarely lost his cool, but it also put me a bit on edge. I really, _really_ wasn't up to having another sort of heart to heart emotional conversation with Joe – especially if it was going to revolve around Ranger. And let's face it, I can't think of much else Joe would want to talk to me about right now.

"They found something else at your apartment during the sweep." Joe finally answered.

Oh yeah, or it could be regarding the stalker investigation. It was getting hard to compartmentalize all the crazy things going on in my life right now. Scary thing is, judging from Morelli's reaction, this was not a good thing… this was _not_ something I think I wanted to hear.

"Oh." I answered lamely.

And then the adrenaline rushed from my system, my full situation came back into play full force, and my legs noodled me into a sitting position on the curb of Haywood beside the driveway for Ranger's underground garage. Morelli followed suit, sitting close to me on my left, but not touching I noted. Joe gave me a minute to brace myself before he started in. If nothing else, he certainly knew me well.

"There were a couple of creepy things they found on the second run through." Joe started. "First were the words '_dead meat_' written in blood _inside_ your refrigerator."

My stomach flipped over a few times and I squeezed my eyes shut as those black dots swam into my vision.

"The second thing," Joe started again, his voice tight, ignoring the fact that I was about to pass out. "…was a load of semen someone busted between your sheets."

I think I threw up a little in my mouth.

"I guess that means it wasn't supposed to be there? Makes sense, considering."

I looked at Joe confused for a minute as he eyed my stomach before I figured out I had said the throw up thing out loud. Of course, that also accounted for the tenseness he had exuded while mentioning it. Joe obviously didn't want to have to see that in his ex-girlfriend's bed – whether it was supposed to be there or not. Not that I can blame him for that. I wasn't even going to acknowledge the second part of his comment.

I was searching for something to say to that as I slightly shook my head no, when I noticed a black SUV out of my peripheral. I turned my head fully to the right, towards it, watching as it turned into the RangeMan garage driveway, stopping at the gate. Stopping longer than necessary.

_Oh Shit_.

I watched as a figure suddenly appeared around the driver side, walking around the front of the vehicle and directly towards where Joe and I were seated. A very impending figure. The sort of figure that imposes fear by simply stance and aura alone.

Ranger.

A visibly fuming mass of tense muscle.

I repeat… _Oh Shit_.

See, this wasn't part of my plan. My plan had been to go back into the RangeMan building, calm the guys down (or hopefully avoid them altogether), and wait for Ranger on the seventh floor. Maybe even wearing my new BatGirl shirt and some black underwear. Hell, maybe even a sexy lace thong.

Sadly, that plan looked like it was pretty much out of commission now.

Joe followed my gaze to where Ranger was almost upon us and snorted out a laugh.

"Poor dumb bastard."

My eyes flicked to him long enough to glare but then they were back on Ranger. Ranger, the heartless mercenary that just might be mad enough for me to find out whether or not he would ever ship me off to a third world country.

"Morelli."

"Manoso."

They both ignored me to fight with their eyes and I let out a sigh. Unbelievably, that one small sigh caught both of their attention and brought their glares my way.

Lucky me.

"Joe brought some information on additional evidence they found at my apartment." I offered to Ranger, coming to a stand and inching towards him in a show of loyalty I hoped he'd understand and hoping to cheer him up a little. It was sad when it was to the point that I was using police evidence to sweeten him up. Well, I'm sure I could have come up with some more enjoyable things if we weren't standing on a public street with Joe.

"I know."

Of course, what was I thinking… Batman knew everything.

"I gave your men my information and told them someone would keep in touch when we have results on the DNA analysis." Morelli continued, giving the information with a tense glare as he stood as well. He nodded stiffly at the both of us before taking off down the street where is Trenton issued P.O.S. was waiting.

I shifted my weight on my feet, almost dancing back and forth with my nervousness. How was I supposed to get myself out of this one? I wasn't used to explaining my stupid decisions with Ranger, I was used to this with Morelli – and nothing was the same because Morelli and I would have just had a fight and not talked to each other for a while. Ranger on the other hand, was deathly quiet.

Maybe I'd just let him start the talking when he was ready… ya know, when he calmed down a little.

I shot him a look out of the corner of my eye and saw that he was watching me, hard. I gnawed on my lip a little and shifted again. My hands stuffed themselves into my pockets, fiddling with the material inside as I waited.

And waited.

About the time I was ready to confess every sin I'd _ever_ committed, Ranger grabbed my upper arm and spun us towards the garage. He bypassed the car, walking directly into the garage and into the waiting (of course) elevator. He didn't speak the entire ride up, but kept a firm hand on my arm. I suppose to ensure I didn't go running off. As if I would be that stupid.

Was he going to believe me when I told him I had realized my mistake already? I mean, I _had_ taken my tracker at least, but I still came back without even setting foot in the mall! That has to count for something, I thought, as he pushed open his front door. He slammed it shut behind us, an unusual show of emotion from the Man of Mystery, and led us towards the living room straight ahead.

I waited a couple beats after he released my arm to prowl around the room, intent on waiting for him to start talking first. He shot me a few hard looks, not quite glares but nothing compared to the softness I had grown accustomed to seeing, but stayed silent.

I started fidgeting again, doing my own small pacing near the couch as I attempted to out-silence The Wizard.

I started counting to pass the time. And then I lost count watching the muscles play under Ranger's skin tight black shirt.

I bit my lip to keep from talking and Ranger stopped, almost as if he knew I was close to breaking, and started a stare-down. I'm proud to say I lasted until the count of 22-one-thousand.

"I didn't even _go_ shopping! I realized how stupid I was being, and how I always run away, and I made Lula turn around so I could come back to _you_."

"It looked like you came back to Morelli."

"Damn you, he surprised me on my way into the garage and I _talked_ to him, not a big deal… nothing there to explain." I was practically growling at this point, annoyed that I was having to explain myself. Again.

"Nothing there?" If it had been anyone else I would have called that a half scoff-half question, as it was it was confusing coming from Ranger. What was it with Batman jealousy regarding Joe lately?! He was flustering me.

"I don't… he doesn't… it's not…" Damnit, I couldn't seem to spit out what I was trying to say – at least not without baring things I wasn't sure I wanted to bare. I turned and walked to the window, staring blindly as I chewed on my bottom lip. How do I explain that no one made me feel the way _he_ did?

"What, Babe?"

I felt the heat of his body move flush against my back as the tense words left his mouth and the tingling electricity that always appeared when we were near each other.

"Your body doesn't come alive with awareness when he's close to you?"

His mouth tickled the area on the back of my neck that had sizzled with his nearness as he took advantage of his ESP.

"Your breath doesn't catch in your throat at the sight of him?"

One of his hands moved to the left of my neck while his mouth moved to the other, following his words. The words that if spoken in any other tone could have been romantic, but as it was there was a distinct edge beneath them.

"You don't find yourself fantasizing about him throughout the day?"

His fingers skimmed down my sides, sizzling the sides of my breasts and shooting electrical currents to all the important parts of my body. I willed myself not to melt back into him, not to admit defeat.

"You don't know that deep in your heart you wouldn't be able to survive not having him in your life – any way you can?"

I wasn't sure when, but at some point I felt like we had stopped talking about Joe and had started talking about the two of us. The impact of that realization made me dizzy. I had known how I had felt, on the surface anyway – it's not like I sat down and dug deep into my feelings a lot, but this was Ranger talking… about Ranger feelings? A shiver ran through me at the thought and Ranger gripped me tighter against him in response, to the point I was wondering if I'd have bruises. Could he truly feel that strongly about _me_? I had barely skimmed over the surface of examining how strongly I felt for him… the possibility that he might feel the same about me was… mind-boggling!

Just as quickly as he had come up behind me, I felt him back off slightly.

"Is that what you can't seem to admit, _Babe_?" The combination of the words, which were irritatingly right, and the tone, which was annoyingly derisive, spun my body around so that I was toe to toe with him.

"Like you should be one to talk when it comes to _admitting__, Carlos_."

I have no idea why I called him Carlos at the moment, I had never done it in the past, but it popped right out. His eyes flashed with some sort of emotion, but I was entirely too far gone to examine it closer.

"If I have any problems admitting things, I'm sure I learned from _you_." I accentuated the 'you' with a hard finger poke in the chest that I'm sure hurt me more than it did him. His eyes narrowed and mine followed suite.

"I already _said_ that I realized I was wrong, I didn't even get out of the damn car… and I'm not going to apologize for sitting in a public place with Joe having a short conversation, so you can shove your guilt trip because it won't work."

Ranger's close proximity was crowding me, which I'm sure was his purpose, and at the end of that sentence I pushed against his chest in a failed attempt to move him back.

He had effectively boxed me in. And that effectively pissed me off even more.

My hands came up again to attempt another shove, just for the hell of it, since it was apparent if Ranger didn't want to move there was no way I was going to be able to make him. Except this time when they met the solidity of his chest, Ranger's hands met them there, holding them prisoner against the undulated wall. I was surprised to feel that his breathing was quicker than normal, his heart drumming beneath my hand. Our bodies were centimeters apart, our breathing ragged, anger bubbling our blood… and that quickly the tension between us gained a sexual edge. My fingers curled into the cotton of his T-Shirt and he used my incapacitated wrists to yank us even closer so that our bodies met from chest to toe and jailed my arms between us.

The lust that slammed through me pissed me off and I uselessly attempted another shove with my clenched hands. Ranger's eyes narrowed and before I could anticipate his next move I was being shoved backwards against the closed window as his body molded itself to my front, his mouth slamming into mine. There was nothing gentle about the punishing meeting of our lips and we fought each other for control, our tongues dueling in frustration. I attempted to pull him even closer, my fingernails digging into the mounds of his torso, before shoving against him in aggravation. His hands, which were still gripping onto my wrists locked between us, shoved my arms above my head in response. Our mouths never stopped their battle, and now that my arms were uselessly pinned my hips bucked in an attempt to gain some space between us.

Of course, at that first violent meeting of hips the erotic edge overtook us, and soon I was bucking against his rolling hips for the sexual friction I desperately needed. Ranger's hands tightened on my wrists and I moaned into his mouth, lost in the craving I had for his body. He controlled the situation fully, drawing back his hips to remove the pleasure I could gain from them and easily managed my body how he wanted. I felt rage at being so helpless, but was beyond caring anymore as I struggled to the summit of pleasure I could feel building within me. Except Ranger didn't allow me to reach it, only allowed teasing tastes of grinding bodies until within minutes I was mindlessly begging for the release only he could provide.

I knew he was doing it all on purpose… punishing me, branding me, proving a point and at the moment the rage I felt at the actions only spurred the heat between us. I fought harder against him and he held me harder in return. My legs climbed up so that they were wrapped around his waist, holding his body hostage close to mine as I rubbed the apex of our bodies together in pure desperation. He arranged both of my hands in one of his, using the other to tear at our clothing. My shirt was the first to go and I slid my hands free as he began working on the button of my cargos. I clawed at his shirt until he allowed me to yank it off.

We fell to the carpet in a tangle of frenzied arms and bruising fingers as we yanked at clothing until our skin was bared and gliding across each other. I couldn't hold back my groans as Ranger's hands cuffed mine again, his mouth suckling and biting it's away across the length of my body. It was hell to not be able to touch, to feel his sweat slicked skin and return the erotic assaults. My body was pounding beneath him, ready to take in his length but the sensation was still overwhelming when he finally surged inside of me. I think I screamed. My hands were still bound by his, completely at his mercy as his mouth tweaked and nibbled and his hips pounded. I could do nothing but lock my ankles around his waist and arch into him, reveling in the violent passion.

"_Fuck… mío… usted pertenece a mí... mío, para siempre_…_Babe, Dios…_"

He began to mutter in English and Spanish as he sped up the tempo, the room filling with the sound of skin slapping together. His hands suddenly released mine, pinching my nipple at clit at the same time and causing me to surge instantly in a reverberating explosion. Ranger groaned out more Spanish words I didn't understand, and I'm pretty sure he included the word 'mine', as his body shuddered beneath my fingers digging into his back.

I meant to talk… maybe ask him what he was saying in Spanish or what the hell he meant by muttering 'mine', but the Doomsday Orgasm overtook my body and my eyes drooped shut on the plush carpet beneath Ranger's spent form.

* * *

_Translations - at least I hope...  
Mío - Mine  
__usted pertenece a mí... mío, para siempre…_ SUPPOSED to be something along the lines of: _you belong to me… mine, forever...  
__Dios - God_


	23. Happiness Is In The Kitchen

**_I'm sorry this is so late guys… not only did my muse totally run out of steam on where to go next (obviously that kind of sex w/ Batman messes up the braincells) I got the flu on top of a busy week at work. Besides the fact that I simply HAD to do some sort of work on my real WIP's.  
_****_Lame excuses, I know… but here's the next CH. I'll try and work on the next soon for ya'll. One that's a lil more exciting…_**

**_Thanks for all of the reviews – you guys are totally awesome!  
(Sorry BTW to you all! I'll be replying to them all tonight! Promise!)_**

* * *

When I woke, some undetermined amount of time later, I was in Ranger's bed. And I was alone. I tried to figure out how I felt about that after such an emotionally turbulent day so far, but didn't have the energy to attempt to sort it all out. I stumbled into the bathroom, took care of Mother Nature, and then took care of myself with a long steaming shower. I was sore in a bevy of places that refused to let me forget that Batman had effectively branded me with sex, and the hot pounding water was heaven. I scrubbed the freshly-fucked signs from my body as best I could, a lame attempt since it always seems to be written across my forehead for everyone to see, and finished up the shower routine with a plush ivory & chocolate brown towel. I re-dressed in a comfortable pair of black yoga pants and roomy tee I found in the bottom of the duffle and moseyed my way into the kitchen.

Happiness can always be found in a kitchen, especially if you're Italian.

I tried not to think about where Ranger was at the moment, or what earlier had meant for us, but the thoughts were determined. Damnit, this is what happens when you talk about your feelings and emotions so much… you became an emotional wreck. I dug around the stainless steel fridge for something other than rabbit food, and came up empty. I needed birthday cake. Or TastyKakes. Or birthday cake with TastyKake topping. Hmmmm… I might be onto something here. I was debating the perks of becoming a sugary inventor (top of the list was lack of psychos), when I heard the front door open and close.

Damn.

I wasn't sure I would be up to facing Ranger until I had ingested some sugar. I buried my head into a cupboard, hoping to postpone the inevitable, when an unexpected voice sounded from behind me.

"Oh, hello dear… I was just bringing up dinner, just in time too, by the looks of you."

Ella's voice startled me so much I jumped and banged the top of my head on the shelf. I squeaked and rubbed the back of my skull as I backed up slowly and turned towards Ella's softly rounded shape setting a tray onto the breakfast bar.

"Oh, do you need ice? I didn't mean to startle you, I thought you would have heard me come in, and Carlos had mentioned you were sleeping." Ella rambled in her endearing way as she bustled to the freezer and pulled out an ice pack, placing it on my head before I could even form a response.

Ella is the epitome of efficient.

"Where is Ca-I mean, Ranger?" I asked as nonchalantly as I could manage, feigning concentration on holding the ice pack and smiling softly.

"He was in his office when he called for dinner, but I'd expect him up soon, dearest."

Ella's smile was entirely too knowing.

"Did you happen to bring any dessert?"

That knowing smile grew a little and she proceeded to lift one of the lids on a dish, handing me a large slice of cake. Heaven help me, it was Pineapple Upside Down cake. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I had tears shining in my eyes when I looked up at Ella. My mouth opened and closed a few times, doing my infamous fish out of water routine, as I searched for the appropriate level of thank you.

"No need dear, Carlos had mentioned it was your favorite so I found a recipe." She paused and met my eyes. "I thought you would appreciate it today."

Yup, I was going to lose it. Over a piece of cake.

I'm not sure how long Ella and I stood there with our eyes locked and my emotions bubbling, but we both jumped a little at the sound of the front door opening. She smiled at me, walked over and rubbed my arm in a show of support, and proceeded to the front door, passing a confused looking Ranger on her way.

"Babe?"

"Hungry?" I asked as an answer.

I knew Ranger was confused, but then, so was I. We could both deal. I could feel his eyes boring into me as I went about uncovering the dishes Ella had left, without waiting for his response, but I didn't meet his gaze. It might have been cowardly, but I could care less at the moment. We were both silent as I went about setting the table and Ranger went about disarming himself for the quietness of being home for the night. I refused to acknowledge the Cleaver Hunny How Was Your Day urge that was surging through me as I set the table, especially since I already knew how most of the day had gone.

Shitty.

I wondered how long it would take for TPD to get the DNA results back as I walked to the fridge for bottles of water, deciding on two bottles of Corona instead. I had turned around before I looked at the beer in my hand, belatedly realizing I shouldn't be drinking alcohol… just in case. I let out a big sigh, staring dejectedly at the bottles as if it were their fault.

"Babe?" I shook myself out of the stupor, flashed an admittedly weak smile at Ranger who was standing in the kitchen's arch and returned to the fridge for the originally intended bottles of water.

Yum.

Ranger hadn't moved from the arch, and as I went to walk by he caught me around the waist, tucking me into his chest with a gently abrupt movement. I inhaled the comforting aroma of Bulgari mixed with Ranger's personal scent and let it sooth me as I knew it would. Wrapped in Ranger's arms it was easy to live in denial land and believe that nothing could ever go wrong. Unfortunately Ranger unwrapped me from those arms a few moments later and I proceeded to the table with the water, preparing myself. I had felt Ranger's tension balled beneath his muscles and knew there was something he had to discuss with me, probably regarding the stalker, and my spidey sense was screaming it was not going to be happy news.

We sat at the table, neither of us saying a word as we started in on the heavenly chicken marsala and rice combo Ella had prepared. It was half way through dinner when the oppressive silence proved too much.

"Just get it out, because we're both going to be on edge until you do."

I was glad when Ranger didn't feign ignorance, just nodded in assent, a small, almost sad, smile playing about his lips.

"TPD got results back on the blood from the fridge."

Ranger specifically didn't use any ownership terms, as if it was a random fridge that had words written in blood, not mine from my apartment. Not that I fell for it, but it was a nice gesture just the same. I nodded for him to continue.

"It matched up to a prostitute who's been in and out of the system…" Ranger paused and I braced myself. "We accompanied a black & white to her usual area near Stark, canvassing the area until we found what was left of her body."

I didn't have to ask details to know she had been in bad shape, the hard lines on Ranger's face told me everything I needed to know. My stalker wasn't messing around, and had obviously crossed over to the menacing lunatic side of the equation. Which, well, in an odd way was good to know. Sometimes my stalkers tended to be more weird than dangerous, and it was good to know what we were up against. Right. I let out a hysterical laugh in my head. Tell that to the Stark Street hooker who donated blood to decorate my fridge.

"Hey… none of that."

I blinked at Ranger who had moved to kneel in front at my chair. Guess I was talking out loud again, I thought as my vision blurred.

"None of this is your fault Babe, do you hear me?"

I nodded simply because I knew it was the correct response.

"We'll hopefully get a hit from the other DNA left tomorrow and then I can have guys hunting him down… we'll get him Babe."

I heard the determination in his voice, and I wanted to believe him… but I didn't feel it. I didn't feel anything. Someone had died because of me… and as of right now there weren't any leads.

No way to catch the bad guy.

_Yet_, I thought, a plan forming in the back of my mind.


	24. Last Night On Earth Vibes

**_Wow… Hi… Remember me?  
The person who promised un update like 3 weeks ago. Yeah… That worked well didn't it? I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to post an update, seriously. Life, WIP's, my muse… they've all conspired against me lately. This chapter isn't very exciting, but her 'plan' goes underway soon, so it'll pick up. Slight smut warning, although it's not as graphic as usual… not sure why exactly, the muse obviously thought this was more fitting._**

**_Oh, and I'm sorry I didn't reply back to all my reviews either, my email was crapping out on me, and I'm three weeks late now anyway, so for this week… one giant encompassing thank you to everyone who reviewed!  
_****_Thanks again everyone, for your patience & support… hope you enjoy…_**

* * *

As you can guess, I had a fitful night of sleep.

Between small periods of nightmarish naps, I came up with what I assumed was the best chance at catching my stalker. Ranger held me tightly against him throughout the night, getting the same lack of sleep I was. I'm sure he attributed the majority of my restlessness to being upset about the dead prostitute, and I didn't dispute the assumption. I know Ranger suspected _something_, he is who he is after all, but at least he didn't voice any questions because I'm wasn't sure I could lie convincingly to The Wizard. I may live in denial some of the times, but that would be a bit hard to convince myself of.

By the time the sun had started to peak in the sky the next morning I was an absolute bundle of nerves. I couldn't prevent my thoughts from turning angsty and second guessing my hastily concocted plan. Of course, it didn't help that I had to rely on everything going exactly how I envisioned. Which, as everyone knows, rarely happens for me. But, I had weighed the pros vs. the cons and decided it was worth the risk.

Hopefully.

So with that in mind, once the day was thinking about making its appearance, I did what any girl in her right mind would do in my situation.

I made love to Ranger as if my soul depended on it.

I could tell I surprised him, since I rarely am the one to initiate intimacies between us, but I needed him with a desperation I've never felt before. I guess I understand now the strength of feelings that come from not knowing whether or not you'll be alive 48 hours from now. I don't know how Ranger, and men like him who consistently risk their lives, hold up under the pressure of that possibility.

The yearning to feel something true and real, to feel the emotions that go hand and hand with living life, was wholly overpowering. My hands roamed over him as he lay dormant beside me within the heavenly sheets, allowing me to take control and simply…

_Feel_.

Feel the warm expanse of chiseled torso, the knowledge of muscles flexing because of my fingers ministrations, the sensation of my heart swelling from heated meeting of eyes. For once, I was content to savor and draw out the experience rather than rush. I never wanted this moment in time to end. This wonderful private moment that was blissfully untouched by the outside world.

My mouth explored the areas my fingers neglected and I was rewarded with heartfelt groans and uncharacteristic fidgets from Batman as he struggled to allow me to remain in command.

Somehow, because he is The Wizard, he knew what I needed and was going to let me have it. I just hoped he wasn't picking up on my 'last night on earth' vibe too much. Although, I could admit a small part also hoped he did. The chicken, rational 'Burg in me wanted my knight in shining armor to ride up on his black stallion and save me from myself, protecting my world as I knew it.

For the moment though, I was content to revel in the adulation and complete worship of my heart, body, and soul. My body slithered closer and closer, inch by inch, as if our skin itself was magnetized and touching at every available swatch of skin. Electricity can sizzle the air between us when we simply share breaking space, but its nothing compared to the feel of our body's physical contact. Before I knew it, I was on all fours straddling one of Ranger's legs as my benignly reverent exploration became infused with more heat. Ranger responded in kind, officially done being a passive player in this new game between us.

The muscles beneath his skin quivered, undulating like I'd witnessed on animals being given attention. And that's what he was, a deadly creature with passions held in check. He was still on his back beneath me, but somehow he had taken control. Now it was my body arching in search of scantily doled out pleasures. Our shortened breaths became gasps that turned into breathy moans as our passions battled in a war we both would win.

It seemed as if hours had passed by the time our lips and fingertips brought us to desperation for being physically molded together. Our bodies joined with the same calm yearning the night had become, until our bodies, hearts, and souls were aligned to become one. The lovemaking itself was a slow burning fuse leading the way to an entire stack of dynamite.

I've never been the type of girl to cry during sex, but the poignancy of this moment in time brought actual tears to my eyes. And my first thought when my senses returned to me after the strength of my climax, was that I hoped this wasn't the last time I was ever able to experience it.

/\ \/\ \

A couple of times, after long meaningful meeting of eyes between us as our day actually began, I came close to admitting my vague plans to Ranger. I knew he could, sometimes, understand the need for certain extreme measures when it came to catching the bad guys. There have been plenty of times in the past that he's used me as bait for distractions and even when Julie was kidnapped by Scrog. Hell, he even puts a lot of trust into my Spidey Sense. All that considered though, there are a lot of times when he wants me completely out of harms way and locked up somewhere safe. It went without saying that this was one of those times, and if I spilled the beans and attempted to convince him, I'd be showing all my cards and I'd never get the chance.

"Deep thoughts?"

I jumped a foot off the breakfast bar chair, and judging from Ranger's cocked eyebrow as he sat beside me, that was answer enough. I guiltily averted my eyes, afraid Ranger's ESP would kick in, and studied my egg-white omelet as if it had the worlds answers printed on it.

I didn't think he was able to fully appreciate the effects of stress and breaking points. I've found, through my bevy of terrorizing moments, that there comes a point when you don't care if the plan is stupid as long as you're not sitting around being a victim. Ranger is never someone's prey, so I highly doubt he could even wrap his mind around being incapacitated for fear of being persecuted. Ranger is confident, sure of himself and his abilities… and probably just crazy enough to not be scared of dying.

I think it goes without saying that I am _not_ that way.

I felt his fingers squeeze my hand in what I assumed was reassurance, but I was too distracted to give him my full attention. The ringing of a phone brought both of us out of the somber mood and Ranger immediately stood as he answered his cell. His curt responses were nothing new, but the tone had me studying his face for answers.

Something was wrong.

My suspicions were validated when he snapped his phone shut and walked his breakfast plate to the fridge.

"Something wrong?"

Ranger came back to my side and lifted my chin to meet his eyes. I tried not to squirm.

"I'm going to check a lead, don't leave the building."

I nodded, but didn't say anything. Thankfully it seemed to be a sufficient enough answer for the man in black. This worked out better anyways, as calling Ranger on the phone had been part of my plan since my chances of lying convincingly to him greatly improved if we weren't face to face.

"Be careful." I added after he kissed my lips, watching him walk towards the front door.

In a horribly morbid way, I figured the back of Ranger isn't the worst sight to remember before I die.


	25. Be Careful What You Wish For

_Okay, Okay… I know I promised to update way sooner than this. I suck, I know.  
Honestly, things have been beyond crazy and I've been trying to piece together enough words to constitute a chapter posting for ya'll. The family business that my husband and I work for just went out of business, so we've been busy getting that cleaned up and I was down in CA all last week. That being said, I do have some additional free time for a little while, but I can't guarantee the next time I'll be able to post. I'm so sorry, but I at least want to finish the story for you. I hate it when people don't complete a story and you're left wondering.  
So… that all being said, I hope you enjoy and I'll try and get this thing finished for all of you wonderful, faithful readers a.s.a.p.!  
--Forever Babe, here's your fix! Even if it is a bit late, lol--  
Now I'm going to try and catch up on all the stories I've missed!_

**_/\\/\\_**

I gave Ranger a full thirty minute head start before calling his cell professing all sorts of boredom and begging to be allowed to take Lula, & however many guards he wanted, if I could just go spend a tiny amount of time at the mall. I laid it on thick and resorted to begging for some happy. I was hyperventilating from the lies by the time I got off the phone… but it worked.

I think. At least he hadn't sounded as if he thought I was lying to him.

Much.

Then I called Lula and told her to be out front in no more than 10 minutes. I got a "Hunh" as response, but I didn't have time to argue or convince. Time was of the essence today and I was entirely too high strung to dally anyway. I quickly assembled an arsenal of various weapons and my own versions of safety precautions and strapped them to various parts of my body. I wasn't going to be _completely_ dumb about this. I hated to even involve Lula this much, but it was my best bet of freeing myself from the assigned babysitters I was sure I had. Lula was by far the best distraction technique ever.

I practically skipped my way to the fifth floor, smiling and waving at MerryMen and security cameras alike. It was all part of my plan. Kill them with kindness – put them at ease.

"Hey Hal!" The greeting practically sang from my lips and judging from his cocked head and v'd eyebrows, I'd best tone my cheerfulness down a few notches if I was going for believable.

"Hey Steph." Yup, I had been over the top I decided, since I was being examined as if I might be possessed. "Lester and Cal should be down in just a second, they were finishing up in the prep locker."

"It's okay, Lula isn't even here yet."

Hal didn't respond, only watched me with eyes that suddenly seemed a bit too knowing in an almost intrusive way. I shifted my sights to the monitors and tried to fight the urge to simply make a run for it. My lying capabilities only go so far after all.

"Okay Bomber, set your stopwatch, we have precisely thirty minutes for shopping." Lester's booming drill sergeant impersonation startled me into jumping and gasping like I was a little girl being chased by her brother with spiders. I cursed myself as I struggled to clam down my breathing, hoping they would brush it off as general 'there's a psycho who wants my life' nerves.

"Geez Lester, don't you guys know better than to sneak around me like that by now?"

Judging from the snort I received as a response, I doubted it.

"Thirty minutes?" I asked, finally catching on to the words he had said. "Doesn't Ranger know it'll take that long just to get inside a dressing room?"

"No dressing rooms. And the sooner we leave the more time we have, he wants you here by the time he's back."

I was about to argue the dressing rooms stipulation when Hal interrupted me that Lula was approaching and I was propelled towards the elevator to the garage.

Was there anyone they _didn't_ have on GPS radar, I wondered? I heard the bass from Lula's car as we stepped through the sliding doors and I saw a third MerryMan walk outside towards the gates and Lester and Cal sandwiched me towards a large, dark RangeMan SUV.

"But…Lula--"

"Hank is directing her into the garage and to our car."

"But—"

"We're all riding together on this little outing Bombshell." Lester interrupted for the second time as the rhino mode kicked up.

"But—"

"That's the orders. If you don't like them, we can veto operation mall-bomb."

I'm pretty sure a growl escaped from my throat as Lester followed me into the backseat.

"How about operation foot up your ass." I mean, honestly, could this get any more ridiculous?! I watched through narrow eyes as Lula was escorted to our SUV by two additional MerryMen who deposited her in the front seat and then got in the SUV next to us. My mouth hung open as they followed us out of the garage, tailing us the entire way to the mall. Lula must have been as shocked as I was because neither of us uttered a peep the entire drive.

_Unheard_ _of_ behavior.

There was no way in hell I was going to manage to escape four MerryMen, even with Lula's help. The President Of The United States didn't have protection like this!

I wanted to scream in frustration by the time I was being sandwiched through the giant sliding doors of Trenton's only mall. Besides the detrimental aspect to my plan… this was just plain embarrassing! People were actually stopping and staring at us as we made our way towards Macy*s, and I was soon studying the ground we were walking on to avoid having to witness it.

On top of all that, I was starting to think Lula was in shock. Either that or she was as mortified as I was and shamed into silence. All I know is that I would have to snap her out of it if I wanted to use her as a distraction. Quiet Lula doesn't work for me at the moment.

Used to be that walking along with a few MerryMen caused stares by females, understandably… nice to know there's a limit and etiquette that goes along with MerryMan accompaniment.

I breathed a sigh of relief when we walked into Macy*s, watching as the few elderly women who were shopping in the shoe department scuttled towards the exit as our army entered the area.

Luckily, Lula snapped out of her funk as soon as stilettos entered her line of vision.

"Ooooh – mama's got to get me a pair of these babies. MmmHmmm!" Lula exclaimed, cuddling a pair of leopard print and hot pink platform mini-boots. I had to grin as she seemingly broke the funk that had fallen over our group. The men relaxed slightly, creating a wide arc around us, facing out so that we had some room with our protection. I feigned interest in a pair of black leather knee high boots and I plotted around the new circumstances.

"So what have you and Batman been up to, being locked away like prisoners?" Lula interrupted my musings, earning a snort from Lester. I glared at his back as I tried to re-focus on Lula's question and not on my hopeful escape.

"We…"

Oh. My. God.

As the previous afternoon's activities flashed through my memory I couldn't believe what I was remembering. What in all that is holy is _wrong_ with me?!

"What, White Girl?"

Lula's voice barely punctured through my haze.

… I had had unprotected sex with Batman. _Again_! For like the fourth frickin' time! I did a major forehead smack. If I hadn't been pregnant originally, I sure as hell was now! What is so hard about remembering to take a tiny little pill everyday, huh?!

"Uh, Bomber…" I dimly heard Lester's voice. "Hey… you don't look so good."

"Hey, move your ass outta my way… my girl needs my help."

"Where are you going?!" I was coherent enough to realize this was my chance as I heard the panic in Cal's voice as Lula started to half carry me off.

"Untwist your panties Skull-Head, we'll be in the bathroom. She needs some cold water splashed on her or somethin'." I tried to remember if there were any windows in the bathroom as Lula pushed open the door, and then instantly regretted the thought. What was I even considering here? How could I put myself in danger like this when there was a chance I had a child inside of me? The thought of how ready I was to put the both of us in danger and felt sick to my stomach.

"I need to go home." I said, more to myself, but out loud to Lula as well. I needed to get back, get out of danger. I turned on my heel, out of Lula's hands and towards the door, suddenly anxious to get out of the bathroom as soon as I could.

Later I'd wonder if I had felt it sooner if things would have turned out differently.

"Wait, Steph, wha—"

I turned around as Lula's voice cut off, just in time to watch her fall to the ground. A man I had never seen before was standing where she used to be, a stun gun in his hand and an evil empty glaze aimed my way. Now, I may not have ever seen him before, but I knew without a doubt that this man was my infamous stalker. _(*I SO almost ended the chapter here, btw*)_

We stood in a frozen staring contest as my adrenaline kicked in and my flight response took over. Not that I really had any chance to reach the door before he reached me, but it was worth a shot.

And when he grabbed the collar of my shirt and yanked me against his body, my fight response flowed through my veins. My voice squealed beneath his hand, my legs kicked towards his body, and my fingernails clawed at any patch of skin they came into contact with. But in the end, it didn't matter.

The only thought I had before I felt the sizzle of electricity against my skin, was that Ranger was going to be _livid_.


	26. Cats & Dogs

_Heeeellllloooooo! Well, it's me again, way later than I wanted to be – as usual.  
I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving holiday! Mine lasted about two weeks, since we do two separate dinners now that we're married: one for my family and a one for his.  
Anyways – I finally got around to posting this for you, and even though I didn't get a chance to respond to the reviews, I can't tell you how much they mean to me – or how serious I am when I say that those reviews keep this story going. Especially those of you faithful ones that keep my butt in gear (you know who you babe's are…).  
Oh, and I apologize in advance. I really can't seem to avoid those damn cliffhangers. Blame my novel writing, lol, but it just cannot be helped.  
I hope ya'll enjoy! --Mia_

* * *

My tongue felt 4 times too big for my mouth, a bone dry monster pushing against my teeth in a vain attempt to escape and find moisture. I opened my mouth for it, smacking in hopes of gaining some wetness back into my mouth as my hands found my throbbing head.

Ugh. If I could go through life without having electrical currents knock me out ever again, I'd die happy.

It took a few moments of blissful finger massages on my scalp to remember the events leading to now and realizing I had been left unshackled. My mind instantly latched onto a Ranger-BatGirl-Persona and I honed a calm, zen-like focus intent on escape.

I jumped to my feet, barely sparing the bare mattress a glance as I canvassed the room's exits. Wow. One, of course. My luck couldn't possibly give me a homicidal stalker that happened to be stupid when it came to capture. The room, which had the eeriness of a claustrophobic basement, was dark except for a soft glow of a dim light bulb on the ceiling. Not that there was much to shine light upon, as the walls were what looked like raw sheetrock and the bare floor was cold cement. Yup, had to be a basement.

Okay, so no windows and only one door out… and in. I glanced around at furnishings, wondering if anything could prove useful as a weapon. Oh, weapon! My eyes turned down and my hands began a pat down of my own body. I couldn't hope that my most obvious weapons were overlooked, but I could only hope at least one of my backup contingencies had survived the kidnapping. I was, after all, still dressed in the clothes I had been wearing. Although, a quick check showed that my body was minus the stun-gun from my sweatshirt pocket, the pepper spray from my sock, and tracker pen from my jeans pocket. Damn. I shot covert glances around the room before unzipping my pants and doing a quick finger swipe search for the tracker I had hidden in my panties. Still there, thank God.

Give me a break, if you'd met any of my stalkers you'd be hiding tracking equipment in your unmentionables too.

Okay, so at least I hadn't been stripped completely in the search. Now I could only hope RangeMan activated it, since I hadn't exactly informed anyone I was suiting up for a kidnapping this morning.

So… what now? Hope for a random tracker activation and ensuing Batman rescue mission… or find a way out of this place on my own. Silly question.

Alright, so I needed a makeshift weapon. The bed could possibly be taken apart to make a weapon, and considering that it was the only piece of furniture in the room, works for me. I had to work fast, because who knew how long my psycho stalker kidnapper would allow me for stun-gun recovery time. I doubt he knew I was practically an expert on it. I shoved at the mattress until it was a heap on the floor and began to unscrew the knobs on the center bar holding the simple frame together. It was about half of my height in length, and solid metal and I took a moment to pat myself on the back for the ingeniousness of it.

It's amazing what the sound of footsteps can do. In my case for example, it cut my celebration a tad short and had be skittering towards the sole door with my new weapon raised defensively. I crouched near the hinges, my heartbeat drowning out the sound of footsteps on the wooden stairs that were to hopefully prove to be my savior. The heavy steps paused outside the door, and then I heard the distinct sound of rattling and a key entering a lock. My breath quickened to the point of becoming borderline hyperventilation and I had to fight for control.

Of course, the problem solved itself when the hinges squeaked in opening and I stopped breathing altogether. A large dark frame paused in the entranceway and every tiny fiber in my being froze with him. Two additional small steps forward and I would be able to whack him from behind… best case scenario anyway.

He took a baby step forward and my arm inched the weapon up with my body in response. His body froze and in an instant my life went from a tense pause to someone slamming on the play button. Honestly, things happened so fast I'm not sure I can even describe it. It was almost as if I was channeling Ranger and had become some fearless, competent fighting creature.

Or, I suppose it could have been dumb luck, like everything else in my life, that I managed to connect solidly with my kidnapper's head. Whatever it was, I wasn't going to stop and consider. I swung again, my stomach revolting at the soft reverberation from the metal on his muscled back and then ran for the stairs. I stumbled and scrambled with the thick metal bar clanging on the stairs behind me since my fingers refused to ease their death grip on my created weapon.

Later I'd blame that same reverberating sound of metal on wood for disguising the heavy footsteps catching up to me.

As it was though, my first hint that my attacker wasn't still crumpled in the basement-turned-jail was a large hand clamping around me left ankle.

I screeched a sound I would have been completely embarrassed to admit I had made, and kicked back with surprising force with my right leg until I connected more than once with the softly padded form of a scarily large, mean man. The kicks allowed me to wiggle from his grasp and I ran with all four of my extremities up the stairs as if I were a cat being chased by a Doberman. That was me, yup… my life was full of Doberman chasing cat moments – and I was always stuck being the damned cat. Why couldn't I be a Doberman just once? Ranger was Doberman. No… I take that back, I thought as I scrambled my way on four legs to a darkly lit kitchen area. Ranger was most definitely a Rottweiler. Viciously intimidating with the option of being cuddly enough to share your bed.

Hypothetically and figuratively speaking, of course.

I quickly discarded the comparison thoughts of Ranger and dogs, wondering in the back of my mind if I'd been zapped enough times to cause excessive brain cell loss, and attempted to focus on finding an exit. I heard struggling sounds coming from the wooden stairs I had just vacated and amended that thought to a _quick_ exit. Only my luck would stick me in a psycho's house with more rooms than my own apartment. I stumbled through a doorway to my left from the kitchen I had been in and found myself in a living room area with a single other open entry way leading out of it opposite from me. My feet tripped over each other, my haste making me annoyingly clumsy as I headed for what I hoped would lead me to a way out. My fingers, after what felt like an eternity, finally gripped the door jamb and I saw an entry way to my right with a large sigh of relief. Sweet, sweet freedom…

I took a single step towards my future breath of fresh air when something akin to an elephant tackled me from behind and I was face-planted into the dirty linoleum. I struggled, but to no avail against the weight pinning me down.

"Did you think I would let you go so easily?" A harsh voice whispered into my right ear, causing chills to break out across my skin as the sight of my departure blurred with sudden tears.

I suppose my nine lives as a Doberman chased cat were expired.


	27. An Unlived Life?

**Well, Hi! Okay… so we're getting closer and closer to the end.  
I was a good girl this time and didn't leave a brutal cliffhanger for you all to deal with. I know, I know – can you even believe it?  
Oh, and for those of you with any doubts, this is a definite HEA story. So don't worry your pretty little heads, babes.  
****Anyways, I hope you enjoy!  
****~Mia**

* * *

I whimpered as my attacker straddled me and manacled my wrists behind my back in a rough jerk. It was at that precise moment that I really began to pray for Ranger's gut instinct to kick in and burst through the door with guns drawn. Before now, I had had confidence in myself… but now I had a distinct feeling I wasn't going to get a second chance to take down this psychotic. I felt the cold metal of cuffs around my wrists before I felt them, and I attempted to wriggle uselessly in a vain hope to avoid the security they equaled. The unknown attacker pulled my arms harder behind me, forcing a painful mew from my throat, and seconds later there was the unmistakable sound of cuffs clicking into place. Tightly into place.

I held the tears that prickled at bay with my will as he yanked me to my feet and dragged me back towards the kitchen area I had passed through, stubbornly not wanting this heartless beast of a man to see me crumple one minuscule inch. It didn't surprise me when I was painfully bumped and dragged back down the rickety stairs off the kitchen that led to my personal dungeon, I had expected it. And the ensuing pain that was sure going to occur in its cold darkened setting.

He threw me in the direction of the mattress that I had thrown on the floor while creating my useless weapon and I stumbled over my feet with the force. I landed in a heap, my head at least protected by the mattress as I felt the continuing beating on my limbs from what was left of the metal frame. I scrambled to a sitting position as fast as I could, since who knew what sort of retribution this guy might get off on. The fleeting memory that his last known victim had been a hooker pushed itself to the forefront of my mind, and I struggled to my feet. No need to be any closer than necessary to a mattress with him in the room with me. I would not be accused of putting even worse ideas in the bad man's head.

The moment I was on my feet, standing tall in front of this manic stranger, I was back down again. The mattress met my back with an unexpected thrust as my cheek stung from where his fist had slammed into it. My breath stopped in my chest, out of pure shock, and my hands ached to reach up and feel the damage. Being handcuffed, however, I had to settle for crudely spitting out a syrup thick mouthful of blood. The metallic taste of it overtook my mouth, making me gag with its potency. But the throbbing jaw, uneasy stomach and bleeding didn't prevent me from at least situating my body into a sitting position where I had been knocked down. I was not going to let him win, even in this small game.

I sat with my back against the decrepit mattress and took my first good, long look at the person who had gone through so much trouble to hijack me. He was tall, I had gathered that much from our struggles, but probably hitting a couple of inches over six feet. His face wasn't one that I recognized as someone I had seen before... which confused me. I had assumed, throughout this entire ordeal, that the man in question would have been a past perp I had dragged kicking and screaming back to jail.

Well, you know what they say when you assume… makes an ass out of you and me. Yup. That was me: the bleeding, out of lives cat chased by Doberman's that was apparently all ass.

The unknown attacker had muddy brown hair, with a thick covering of facial hair that looked like it hadn't seen a razor for at least a week. Not to mention the almost glazed lack of emotion in his dark brown eyes. It was that dead look in his pupils that scared me the most. I could fully believe that this man had killed a prostitute and took her blood to write me a message without losing a wink of sleep. I was hard pressed to control a shiver.

"Who are you?" I asked, thinking if I could get him to talk it might delay another attack on my body.

"A friend of a friend, sweetheart." There went that shiver. His voice was low and menacing enough to not really want to ask any more questions. If I thought I had a chance to survive this, his voice would be the type to give me nightmares. "I heard a lot about you, little girl… from someone I think you know pretty damn well."

"Who?" I asked without thought.

"Bernard Jackson… he said you would be… fun."

How did I know he was going to say that?

I wasn't comfortable in the position I was in. I had a gut feeling that this parasite got off on exploiting the weakness in his prey. I struggled to stand, using already bruised muscles I wasn't even aware I had in order to get to my feet a second time with my hands behind my back. His hand reached back, and again the moment I was erect I was knocked a few feet until I was crumpled within the remains of the bed. I let out a small whimper before I could help it, biting the tip of my tongue as I tumbled and clenching my teeth together to avoid any further cries. I could see out of the corner of my eye his boots take a step closer and with that small step, a cold numbness flowed through my veins.

This was _it_.

I've been in enough life and death situations that you would think I was almost immune to them… or at least knew what to expect. But, I suppose it all depends on the current status of your life that determines the moments before your death.

In this moment, for example, my first thought was about that little unknown member of an uncreated family.

Tears sprung to my eyes as I grieved… for that life never lived, my own dreams not yet realized, a joining never united… Instead of my life passing before my eyes like the cliché, it was my future. The future I apparently wasn't going to get a chance to live.

His hands gripped my upper arms as he lifted my feet off the ground, the large fingers digging bruises down to the bone. I kicked, I squirmed… but I didn't scream. And, I must have been damn good at the futile resistance because neither one of us heard anything until the tell tale sound of a gun being cocked. We both froze at that point, and I took the opportunity to see who the visitor was. The tears that had built up previously began to cascade down my cheeks in earnest, blurring one of the most welcome sights of my life.

Ranger, gun cocked and looking as dangerous as ever, was only an arm's reach away. I didn't look, but I heard more quiet steps on the stairs and in other parts of the room, so I knew he wasn't alone. The brute slowly lowered me to the ground without even having to be told, and before I could take a deep breath he disappeared under a sea of black muscled bodies with a conspicuous amount of grunts of pain from one voice. I could barely process that thought before I was swept into another pair of arms, positively drowning me in the comfort of Bulgari as I nuzzled as close as possible. I registered the stairway, and then after a few more minutes, the fresh air… but nothing distracted me from my rescuer. The tears were still flowing, and I seemed totally unable to stop them.

I clung to Ranger, refusing to let the smallest distance come between us as he sat us in the open backseat of one of Rangeman's SUV's. I took comfort in the fact that he was clinging right back. The soft, foreign murmurs combined with soothing finger strokes up and down my spine soon calmed me enough that I was able to function semi-normally. I watched with a strange detachment as the rest of the guys prodded my kidnapper out of the house and into a separate vehicle before fanning out. I gave a tremulous smile to the ones I knew – Tank, Lester, Cal, and Hal - as they headed my way.

"H-h-how did- -how did you know?" The sentence barely made sense, but Ranger understood what I was trying to say. Of course.

"I knew you had something up your sleeve, Babe." Ranger was as cryptic as ever. I should have known Batman wouldn't tell all his secrets of rescue.

"Yeah Bomber… I will never again doubt the weird connection you two have – because there is no other explanation for today." Lester's voice had lost its usual frivolousness and had been replaced with pure incredulousness. I leaned back into Ranger, feeling his arms tighten around me with Lester's heartfelt words.


	28. UhOh

_Okay, so I wanted to do a longer chapter, but I also wanted to update before Christmas since I'll be gone for who knows how long. Which means you get this. It's not that exciting, more like an in-between filler chapter, but I figure its better than nothin'.  
:D  
Alright, I hope you enjoy… and, believe it or not, there's probably only a few chapters left!! Things are busy lately, but I'll get the next one out as soon as I can. Seriously. I promise. For real.  
__Oh, and big thanks to the notes of support I've been getting **Forever Babe, this is for you! Happy B-Day!** - you guys rock for being so patient.  
-**Mia**_

* * *

Ranger's arms tightened again, squeezing really, and I tore my eyes from Lester's perplexed face upward towards Ranger's. His face was almost distorted, actually showing a flash of emotion that was completely out of place in public. I struggled to pull my arm free, wanting to cup his face, to somehow erase the torturous look that had appeared. The moment my hands met his jaw line though, his eyes hardened and I froze.

Uh-Oh.

"Uh-Oh is right." Ranger replied and I cringed. "What were you thinking?!"

Obviously scared, worried Ranger was being replaced with Irate Ranger. His voice was only raised infinitesimally, but the anger was evident.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed… or are you just intent on shortening my life span by continuously scaring years from me?"

I bit down on my tongue, reminding myself that he was not only upset, but that I had had the same thoughts right before the abduction. Even with those thoughts circling my brain, my spine stiffened.

"Well?"

"Well, what? It wasn't my fault – you can't blame all this on me!" My voice was raised, the Italian temper spiking.

"Watch me. Not only can you not stay in a safe area until tests come back and we have more information, you had something planned today – don't deny it." Ranger's voice was dipping lower as mine was raising higher.

I cringed a little, not being able to deny that last part, but not about to admit I was wholly wrong.

"Well when are you going to learn that you can't lock me in your own personal jail whenever it suits you?!"

"Because you can take _such_ good care of yourself, right?"

I sucked in an outraged hiss but Tank, whom I had forgotten about along with the rest of our audience, interrupted before I could respond.

"Uh… Boss?"

"What?" Ranger snapped without breaking our eye contact.

"It's quarter after four… did you still--"

"Yes. You guys deal with the scum, I'm offline."

My brows dipped into a V as Ranger stood with me still in his arms and placed me in the passenger seat alone. He walked himself around to the driver side and started the car without another word. I pushed my lips tightly together and crossed my arms across my chest, intent on pulling the silent treatment. We hit the city limit sign before my resolve broke.

"Where are we going?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at Ranger's profile.

"To an appointment." Was my cryptic answer.

I huffed, but Ranger only responded by finding my hand and giving it a squeeze. The small show of affection stopped the build of annoyance. I closed my eyes, resting my head against the headrest as I wallowed in Ranger's presence. Some moments, I realized drowsily, required reverence. And I was thankful that I was still alive to appreciate this one.

I must have dosed, not surprising, because the next thing I knew Ranger's scent was enveloped around me and his voice was soft in my ear.

I smiled before I even opened my eyes, completely content.

"Come on Babe."

I forced my lids up, my smile growing as his face filled my vision. I leaned forward and placed a small, sweet kiss on his lips before swiveling my head and taking in our surroundings.

There were enough trees in the background to prove we were outside of any city, but parked in a miniscule parking lot in front of a quaint brick building. Ranger opened his door and I unbuckled, cocking my head at him when he came around to my side.

"Where are we?" I asked, taking his hand and gingerly stepping onto the blacktop. He didn't answer until we were away from the car, his arm tight around my waist. That should have been my first clue it wasn't going to be any place I enjoyed.

"A doctor I know."

My feet stopped, ready to throw a hissy fit to rival a two year old. But then of course, Ranger's soft voice came to my ear.

"Babe, trust me…" I wavered. "Please." The husky plea allowed Ranger to get my feet moving again and I was propelled towards the quaint, nondescript building. He opened the door and shoved me into a surprisingly pictorial waiting room with chairs that actually looked comfortable and a lack of cheesy magazines. It wasn't surprising that this was the type of doctor's office Ranger was familiar with.

Although, I certainly couldn't picture him making annual doctor's appointments like a normal person. He had Bobby, after all, to take care of the basics.

"We have an appointment for five o'clock." Ranger informed the receptionist, adding enough of a smile that flustered her into stumbling her way across her computer's keyboard.

"Um, right – I'll let him know… it should only be a few moments." Her blush had overtaken her face to the point I almost felt bad for her. I knew firsthand how a Ranger smile could stupor a woman.

Ranger led us to a chair, but I couldn't bring myself to sit back and relax. Doctor's make me jumpy. So I paced. Back and forth over the plain beige carpet, taking stock of the room as a distraction technique.

I opened my mouth to argue our presence, but closed it just as quickly.

I knew, deep down, this was a good idea. In theory, anyway. Not only had I just been buzzed, kidnapped ad beaten… but there was also that _other_ thing that needed addressing. I knew neither of us were going to acknowledge it out loud, thankfully, but I also knew it was in the back of both of our minds. I mean, really now… how could it not be?

My hands began wrestling with each other as a weight descended on me like a claustrophobic shroud.

"Babe."

Yeah, okay… I could do this. I locked eyes with him as he overpowered the chair and realized that with Ranger as support, I could do this.

"Miss Plum?"

Well, shit. I guess I _was_ doing this. Now.

I felt Ranger come up beside me, guiding me forward with a hand at the small of my back. Which helped since I had rooted myself to the floor staring at the nurse as if she just might be the devil in disguise. To distract myself from what was happening, I started singing Elvis' song by that name as I crossed the threshold into the examination area.

We went through the fake cheerful hellos and weight motions before being led to an empty room, and once again I got the impression they were going for as non-Doc-office you could get for the interior decorating. Besides the obvious equipment, paper covered bed, and buzzing fluorescent lights, it was more elegantly casual than I was used to. Which helped. Sort of.

Ranger smiled at me, and that helped more. I forced myself to sit on the crinkly paper and Ranger came by my side, rubbing and holding any and all of me he could. Which helped even more.

The nurse was efficient with her friendly but quick moves she brought a tray of supplies next to the bed.

"Alright, we're just going to take your vitals and then draw some blood… okay?" I nodded, even though she had already started unrolling the blood pressure cuff. I tried to calm down, but I don't know how much it helped. She recorded the numbers without even a twitch of the eyebrows, checked my ears, took my temp and then turned to her tray.

I closed my eyes like a wuss.

I felt her pull the strap of rubber across my bicep, tightening it to the point that I swear my hand tingled, and then swabbed my inner elbow. I felt Ranger's hand nestle into my hair and grasp the back of my neck, anchoring me. His swirl of Bulgari scent distracted me to the point that I barely even jumped when the needle pierced my skin and stayed put for a few seconds. I opened my eyes, locking eyes with him as the nameless nurse stuck some cotton and tape over my arm in silence.

"The Doctor will be with you shortly." She intoned as she headed out, and I had the odd sort of realization that I would have booked it for the parking lot ten minutes ago if it weren't for the Batman support.

Imagine that… semi-comfortable while visiting the Doc. Odd, huh?

Batman Stupor To The Rescue.

Although Ranger euphoria had the possibility of wearing off. Not to mention that it was much more enjoyable in a private, uninterrupted setting.

But another fantastic oddity… we didn't wait long. There was a discreet knock on the door within five minutes, and thank heaven for that, because there wasn't much space pacing in this little room.

The man who walked into the room studying a manila folder was ancient, which was a surprise, as was his greeting that he gave before even lifting his eyes.

"Carlos, where the hell have you been?"

I blinked. Slowly. A few times actually.

"Doctor Rios… how have you been?"

The man finally looked up, running his eyes up and down Ranger in a sort of assessment before doing the same to me. He may have looked old, but those eyes shone with a spry sort of immense knowledge.

"I been fine, boy, but that wasn't what I asked you."

I know my jaw dropped, but I must have made some sort of disbelieving sound too because both of their eyes trained on me.

"I guess this answers my question though for you." The brave doctor smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back. "You've evidently been busy wherever you are."

Ranger took the hint and went ahead with introductions.

"Rios… this is Stephanie." I could hear the softness and smile in Ranger's voice and it brought my eyes around to meet his. "Babe, this is Doc Rios… the best of the best and worth the trip out here for you."

I smiled back, feeling all mushy and emotional inside as I the evil thought popped up in my head at how close I had come to losing this… losing him.

"Well then, that certainly answers that. The doctor's voice interrupted and I turned back towards him automatically. "But what sort of trouble did you get yourself into with all these marks?" His eyes shot to Carlos with a small measure of censure in them, a sort of silent 'way to take care of your girl smarty' and my spine stiffened on its own.

"I talked Carlos into letting me go out shopping with a friend and bodyguards and managed to get kidnapped for a little while until he swooped in for the rescue like usual." My voice was stiff as my own censure came dripping through at his assumptions that Ranger had shirked his duty in any way.

There was a beat of silence as I saw the doctor's eyes widen marginally… and then to my astonishment they both burst into laughter.

"I like her." Doctor Rios chuckled before I could figure out what the hell was going on.

"Me too." I shot Ranger a frown and he drew my knuckles to his still smiling lips in response.

The odd doctor put the file down and proceeded the usual prod and probe on my aching body, but found nothing major. My blood pressure, he said had been a bit high, but that was to be understood given the circumstances. Other than that it was just a whole bunch of muscle soreness and bruising that would fade on its own. He finished up the tame examination with a knowing smile to both me and Ranger that instantly put me on edge before he had even gotten the chance to speak.

"Oh, and the blood work results should be back tomorrow…" The light in his eyes made me think Ranger had called him personally and arranged an appointment for a pregnancy test.

"Call me or just fax over the results." Ranger responded, confirming my suspicions.

My head hit my hands, but even through my cursing I at least felt better that the whole thing was being taken care of discreetly… but professionally. At least that's what I told myself as Ranger said some goodbyes and led me from the building.

Personally, I felt like I was in a winding tunnel: only able to comprehend whatever was directly in front of me in short bursts.


	29. ConfessionsAnswers

_Wow, am I getting in the habit of starting off each new chapter with a big 'Hi guys, sorry I'm late' or what?? Seriously, things were real, real crazy for the past three weeks and I'm sorry I didn't get this out sooner. I had my nephew's 18__th__ b-day, my husband's 30__th__, Christmas, New Years, and then parties galore… all back in CA so I wasn't near my computer. But I'm back home and things are back to normal. I promise. Although, it won't do you too much good since…  
__There is only one chapter left in __Fire Induced Epiphanies__.  
__I know. Crazy, huh?  
__Anyways, on that sort of sad little note… here is a wonderfully angsty /happy /sappy chapter for you all to enjoy.  
__Lots of love, as always, to those of you readers who still come back to read the story and drop me wonderful reviews. This, BABES, is for you.  
__--Mia_

* * *

I allowed myself a few moments of private turmoil before I pulled my head from my hands and jumped from the paper covered table. I avoided locking eyes with Ranger, sure I would break down if I did.

Neither one of us spoke as we left the building, Ranger being silent was SOP, but personally I was too busy attempting to return to denial land to talk.

We stopped once on the way home, and that was for gas, which I only know because I was too keyed up now to sleep this time around. Even though I noted the stop, and noted Ranger on his phone as he pumped, and noted the long drive… I couldn't dredge up the emotion for my usual curiosity.

Instead of denial I was drowning in a sort of detached numbness that I couldn't escape from. Life was suddenly very, very real. Inescapably real.

Ranger, in typical fashion, understood me enough to not press me into conversation… as if he would talk and drive at the same time anyway.

And he did not let go of my hand. Once again his strength, even in silence, was my saving grace. I refused to freak out or break down. _Yet_. Because I had him.

To avoid losing myself in possible worst case outcomes of what my life could become, I repeated that little mantra in my head. I had Ranger… I would be okay.

Of course, that mantra was a struggle to keep with a nagging thought that I wouldn't be okay if by chance I didn't have Ranger at some point in the future.

That was a whole new, almost unavoidable can of worms I was trying really hard not to think about. The thought of:

A) being without Ranger or

B) having Ranger stick around with me and bypassing his views on permanency because of pregnancy

Was making me a little sick from the fleeting thought.

Tears sprung to my eyes just as the Trenton sign came into view and I struggled to at least maintain composure until I was home and had some privacy. Then I would allow myself all the tears I could squeeze out until I had a raging headache and swollen eyes. I held onto that raft for fifteen minutes until Ranger skipped the exit that was quickest to my apartment.

"Hey!" I whipped around to watch it disappear from my vision before turning to frown at Ranger. "You missed my turn off, aren't you supposed to be focused in the midst of your zen driving state of mind?"

"Babe."

"Don't 'Babe' me!" I responded automatically, and then processed the tone of his response in a complete delayed reaction.

"_Raaannggeeeeeer_… you _are_ taking me to my apartment."

"No."

"I want to go home." My voice couldn't even dredge up the snappy response that a flat out 'no' usually got from my temper, instead sounding like a scared whiny four year old at her first slumber party.

"I am taking you home with me. Besides, all of your stuff and Rex are at my apartment."

His tone challenged any argument I could have tried to come up with and I squeezed my eyes shut as dreams of an empty apartment to cry in disappeared. I couldn't do that at Haywood… unless I somehow locked myself in the bathroom and Ranger was convinced I was okay and he otherwise occupied in a major disaster.

"Babe…"

I refused to look at him until the needle pricks of moisture vanished.

"Babe, please… give me one night to hold you in my arms now that I know you aren't, well… that you're still here with me."

Well… shit.

How was I supposed to say no to that? And those damn pricks of moisture were only stronger now. I was about one more 'Babe' away from bawling.

I squeezed his hand as an answer and spent the remaining minutes of our drive with my eyes shut talking myself out of a crying jag. None of this was okay, no matter how I tried to tell myself that it was.

Yeah, I know… I was working myself into a massive depressingly angsty mood that would only lead to huge amounts of chocolate and cake. But I didn't care.

By the time we arrived at Rangeman headquarters I was downright surly and prepared to eat my weight in TastyKakes. I threw myself from the car as soon as it was in park and slammed the door behind me. Yeah, I was being childish, but I didn't care. I'd been kidnapped, shuttled to a doctor, had a needle shoved in my arm after being forced onto a scale (never fun), and not allowed to go home to gorge on fatty food that will never be allowed in Batman's domain. And all that's not considering that huge elephant wearing a half pink half blue onsie and waving a rattle with its trunk taking up a back corner of my mind. Nope, not going there.

I didn't wait for Ranger as I beelined it for the elevator, but his smirking face was right behind me by the time I had punched the button. I glared at the smirk, but it only grew in size. By the time my stomach was still on the basement and we were halfway to the Penthouse he was almost grinning. He took my hand in his again, squeezing it as his nose nuzzled into my curls and his deep voice murmured Spanish words I didn't even attempt to comprehend.

The majority of my churlishness dissipated into the air along with the breath those words were spoken on.

When the elevator dinged our arrival on the top floor and the black and white reception area was revealed Ranger led me to the door but paused in front of it without taking out his key ring. He turned and faced me, bringing both hands up to rest on my waist as he pulled me close.

He didn't hug me… he didn't kiss me… he didn't talk to me… he simply looked into my eyes with a slight remaining smile on his tanned face. The soft look on his face, one I couldn't even begin to name, held me in suspension until I was simply lost in the depth of his eyes.

The spell was only broken when Ranger moved in closer, giving me a kiss no more than a sigh of lips. He pulled away slowly with the smile still in place and removed the hand on my left hip bone to dig in his pocket, pulling out his keys and unlocking the door without taking his eyes from mine.

Something was different. Something had happened. Something had changed. And I had absolutely no idea what it was.

He pushed open the door and pulled his other hand from my hip to grip my hand at the same time, forcing my feet to move into the doorway in front of him. I frowned weakly at his pushiness before walking through the arched foyer and into the living room, intent on dialing Pino's for delivery if I couldn't find anything calorie-worthwhile in the kitchen.

My feet froze, though, before I could turn my body right past the couch as my eyes caught on the bedroom suite. Or, more accurately, the soft halo of light illuminating the bedroom suite.

My first thought was Ranger or Ella had left a light on somewhere, as unbelievable as it might seem. But then my mind processed what my eyes saw.

My feet floated closer on their own accord and my breaths seemed to be coming fewer and far between with each small step. The first question that seemed to penetrate my brain was: 'who would own so many tealight candles?' … followed quickly by 'that many roses would cost a fortune!'.

And then all the images added up and equaled the knowledge that Ranger had had someone (well, Ella I'm sure) fill the room with bouquets of red roses, rose petals, and candles. For _me_.

And then my feet froze themselves to the floor. Again.

I'm not sure how long I stood there staring, especially because my vision blurred .2 seconds after the realization hit me, but I know that I had new tear streaks on my cheeks by the time I felt Ranger hug me from behind.

"Babe…" he murmured in my ear as his hands found my hips again, turning me to meet him at my right. He didn't say anything else, but then again, he didn't have to. His face, his eyes, his gestures, his unyielding support… it all said so much more.

He led me to the bed, and the simple anticipation of our bodies meeting as lovers do had me willingly crushing the perfect petals scattering the floor. When his feet stopped in front of it and he turned towards me I tilted my head up to his, ready and willing to be lovingly (albeit thoroughly) ravished.

Except Ranger put his hands once again on my hips (I could have thought of a few other, more key places for them to go) and used a slight amount of pressure to sit me down on the edge. He followed me down, with me looking quizzically at him, so that he ended up knelt in front of me. His hands remained on my hips, his body close to mine… but he made no moves to start getting me naked, he only stared at me from his perch on his knees.

Okay, I thought… now what? Were we going super romantic slow? Was he going to undress me starting with the shoes and working his way up? All of the above sounded great to me, but I was ready to get whatever was going down started. Unless he was waiting for me to get things started, because I could definitely…

"I have something to confess."

Ranger's voice interrupted my train of naked thoughts and my body flicked its emergency shut down switch. Conversations that start with that phrase are _never_ good. Which would be why my voice didn't work well enough to respond.

"I love you."

And now I'm glad my body shut down because it might just have overheated at this point.

"I know you already knew that I did, and we both know that I have for a long time… but I wanted to say the words to you so that there was no doubt in your mind." He paused and if possible, his stare grew more intense. "No matter what happens, that will never change."

A burning in my lungs reminded me that if I wanted to see how this was going to play out… I would need oxygen. Before I could gasp enough air to respond, Ranger continued.

"And the only way I knew to prove to you it was true… to show you that no matter what is said or done or happens between us won't affect the depth of our love…" I watched, in a sort of out of body experience way, as his hand reached for his right pocket. "Was to give you this."

A sparkle set off by the candles hit his fingertips, casting miniature glittering rainbows as a large, flat set diamond ring appeared in the gap between our hearts. My vision blurred on me again and a mewling exclamation escaped from my clogged throat as my hands gripped at Ranger's arm.

"Babe…"

My blurred vision lifted from the exquisite ring and back into Ranger's glassy brown depths and I blinked furiously so I could see him clearer.

"My heart, _mi __Corazón_… my love, _mi amor_… my life, _mi vida_…"

I fought to keep my vision clear but the tears were overpowering me now.

"Will you be with me forever as my wife?"

I couldn't talk, and even if I had been able it would have sounded like a cross between a frog and a baby.

So I leapt forward and tackled him with a vise hug around his neck and sloppy wet kisses with his back crushing rose petals, candles flickering all around us, and a beautiful diamond ring squished somewhere between our bodies.

And I'm pretty sure that was answer enough.

* * *

_3_ :-) _3_


	30. H E A

_**Once again, I'm going to start out with an apology.  
**__**My muse was quite reluctant to finish this Epiphany riddled story, although I can't blame her too much since she's been trapped between Spy World and Victorian Era England for my WIPs'. It was a stretch to get her to be smuttily (yes, I made up that word) sweet. That being said, there's your excuse for not only my delay (which I'm sure you are used to) but for my unusual love scene as well. Sometimes you just gotta go with what the fingers are typing. *sigh***_

_**Anyways. So yeah. This is it. The End. Finite. Fin. No more epiphanies.  
**__**Not even an epilogue to follow because I wanted the story to end at 30 chapters even (another reason this took a while, btw). Therefore, in closing… for the last time, I want to send out a massively huge Thank You to everyone who read the story, followed the story, pestered me for more, and took the time to send me a review. I'm so glad you've enjoyed this Porsche Turbo ride with me… You have all been amazing. I can't possibly thank you enough.**_

_**So, in closing…Lots of Love, and I'll be popping in from time to time maybe to say hi. Maybe even write a couple of shorts, ya never know!**_

**_-Mia-_**

* * *

I'm not sure how long we stayed locked in that tackled embrace. Honestly, if someone had asked me I would have happily stayed that way for centuries. In those private moments it seemed as if life couldn't get any better.

And _then_ my tears had all dried up, my hiccups had ceased and passion flared as the candles dimmed as if on cue. Ranger's hands pushed into the muscles of my back, massaging a hard trail that left no interpretation to what was coming. The trail ended at my neck, with one hand burying itself deep into my curls and holding them tight while another held fast to the base of my skull.

The pressure proved to be a catalyst.

Our meeting of mouths was hard, forceful, and almost desperate to share the fervor we both felt. The result was nothing more than pure fire exploding. It was an odd sensation, and surprisingly a first between us, to have such a mixture of enthusiasm, ecstasy, bliss, passion, and mainly, love. My body arched into his, straining to show the depth of emotion that pounding beneath my chest. My heart, feeling so big compared to the size of my ribs, ached and cried to get as close as I could to this man below me. I was only more than happy to comply, sealing our bodies together seamlessly so that even air couldn't come between us.

Even though I was technically on top, the struggle for control between us was evident. Neither of us, it seemed, was content to not act on the overwhelming emotions of the moment. Ranger's head came up towards mine, pushing me back with him so that he was in a sitting position now as I straddled his hips. Our lips didn't consider the impious act of separating during the transition. Neither did our hands, with his continuing to use my backside as an anchor to his body and mine grasping at any piece of his skin, clothing or hair they came across. Ranger's slithering hands brought up the t-shirt I had thrown on, having lost my zip up sweater at some point throughout the day, exposing the white lace number beneath. The open lace pattern with large enough gaps was a perfect compliment to Ranger's mouth and I arched towards him helplessly as he laved.

I was craving skin on skin contact and Ranger complied instantly, as if he was reading my mind or simply wanted it himself, tearing his shirt over his head. You could almost hear the overheated flesh on our bodies sizzle as they met back up, dragging a groan from the depths of my throat. The next few moments are a bit fuzzy, and you can blame an indecently hot Cuban who smells of Bulgari for that. Anyways, whatever the reason, I somehow missed how Ranger finagled both of us out of the rest of our clothing… which irritated me since I have to pull a half crouch wiggle to get the jeans _on_. Not that its too surprising, really, that even clothing won't risk Batman's wrath.

Point being that in a matter of minutes we were both still in that same position and gloriously naked.

Yeah, process that for a moment and copy my own shiver of pleasure.

Despite the alacrity of our actions, there was something decidedly lassitude about the moment. Things slowed and time began to become tinged with poignancy. Grazed fingertips prolonged their touches… kisses and nibbles savored… quick gasps transformed to groaning sighs. His touch, no matter the length, never seemed enough. The life, the love, the pure adrenaline that he created in my body felt akin to the air I needed to fill my lungs. It scared me, the strength of emotion he brought forth. More importantly, how it overshadowed any of my previous emotional experiences was is what scared me the most.

The feel of his powerful hands beckoned my eyes to roll back in my head in wonderment, but I resisted. My will was no match for the hypnotic gaze locked between us. Ranger's pupils grew until the brown depths of his eyes were nothing but potent black pools of desire that sucked me into a blind oblivion. The time, perhaps feeding off of our wishes, seemed to lengthen and draw out the inevitability.

Needless to say I was ridiculously far gone by the time Ranger slid inside of me. So you can imagine, then, how when he finally did my body quaked from the inside out in response. The feeling of him inside of me hinted at the _Happily Ever After_ I had always dreamed about. This joining was every aspect of our relationship personified into an ageless act. More than that, it was Life Personified. My life - that he saved today. Our lives - that would be entwined in the future. That other life - that may or may not be.

Our eyes met and held as my body closed around him tightly - gripping and pulling as my hips began to rock. My body slid up and down and back and forth as Ranger's smacked and shoved and swiveled. I dominated the tempo, my gaze never leaving his face, as I worked our bodies towards ecstasy. His skin was molten steel under my roaming fingers that gripped every inch I could reach. Fingers that dug deep into his muscle as the rush of climax overrode all rational thought. My body shuddered and Ranger's body following like an aftershock.

His body collapsed onto the plush carpet, dragging me along with him so that I was draped over him like a blanket. My limbs were useless, totally loose and languid. I sighed in contentment into Ranger's bare chest, once again wishing I could freeze frame a moment in time. I was having a lot of those lately, I realized drowsily, not surprised when my eyelids grew too heavy to keep open.

Ranger's arms cradled me as he came back to a sitting position, moments later, lifting me and following to the edge of the bed. My eyes couldn't manage the energy to open but I felt the plush duvet beneath me as I lay back, pulling him with me like a blanket this time. His husky laugh filled my ear and I shivered and the sound. He pulled us up and over so that he could maneuver us beneath the covers, snuggled together like Siamese twins in a sticky exhausted pile of spaghetti limbs. I didn't even attempt to hold back the satisfied sigh that echoed from deep inside my chest.

Yet another Kodak moment.

I tried to hold onto it as long as I could, but fatigued muscles had other ideas and I fell seamlessly into a deep slumber.

**{~.~}**

Not surprisingly, it was a shrill ring of a phone that dragged me from sleep. Batman really needed to learn about the benefits of silent mode on a cell, I thought to myself, rolling over and nuzzling deeper into warm sex/Bulgari scented male. The ringing stopped, even though I hadn't felt Ranger move from under me. That confusing puzzle forced my eyes open and jump started my brain like no telephone or alarm clock could. My head rotated, my chin coming to rest on Ranger's chest as half of my body blanketed the mass of his.

His eyes were closed, but a small smile tugged at the ends of his lips as I watched him so I knew he was awake. I placed the barest of pressure to his chest with my lips, watching his smile grow.

"Are you going to address that ringing?" I was surprised with the question. Dumbfounded, really. This was Ranger's house. It was Ranger's cell. Ranger's business in Ranger's building. Why would he be asking _me_ to get the phone?

Had the pod people come in during the night and replaced _my_ Ranger?

"No, Babe… I'm still you're Ranger." I frowned at him, half in annoyance at him for reading my mind and half in annoyance at me for possibly talking out loud again. "I just thought you would want to see what's on the fax machine."

And I'm wide awake and tense as a mouse in a house full of cats now.

Ranger's arms flexed from a sudden band around my torso, but it didn't completely alleviate the apprehension that was no feeding my body. In my haze of sleep muddled mind and the more important last memories of last night's arrival home, I had conveniently forgotten about those… results… that were supposed to be making their appearance today. Even in my head I stumbled over the word and what it meant to my life as I knew it.

The chances of me jumping up from my spread on Ranger's naked body to check out those results were slim, to say the least.

"You're going to have to look at them at some point, Babe."

Maybe if I ignored his comments altogether I wouldn't have to actually.

"Don't make me carry you over there."

"It's too early."

"It's after 11:am… we've slept away most of the day."

Hmmmm…

"How about a shower?"

"How about you take the first train out of Denial-Town?"

"How about not?"

My backbone was working itself into a good Italian stubbornness despite the droll voice in the background of my mind calling me out on my cowardice. We both knew I was simply aiming for a fight so I didn't have to acknowledge those test results.

Ranger eyed me critically, probably debating if I was

a) Worth the hassle

or

b) Going to admit my ridiculousness any time soon.

I didn't say anything, mostly because I didn't have an answer for him. I was more than a little unsure about myself at the moment.

Instead of responding vocally to my bullheadedness though, he simply followed through on his threat. He had me cradled in his arms and sitting up in the bed prepared to walk us to the fax machine before I took my next breath.

"Damn you."

He didn't answer that as he managed to crawl off the bed without letting me go, coming to a stand with me in his arms without the slightest huff. He walked back towards the living room area and straight to the small office, setting me down feet from the offending piece of office equipment.

I scowled at it. Ranger sighed.

"Babe." His voice broke the silence after a few minutes of frozen scowling. I didn't respond and I didn't make the move to pick up the single piece of paper that was face down on the tray. It seemed to grow in size every second that ticked by.

"Please." That had me out of my zone and whipping my head around to meet Ranger's face.

He was playing dirty. I knew it but it didn't change the effect it had on me. Well, I suppose it didn't hurt that he was still magnificently nude.

I took a large dose of courage from his eyes and reached out to grab the white sheet without looking away. He kept out gazes locked, almost as if he realized how much I needed the connection. I held the results in my hands for an immeasurable period of time, simply allowing myself to drown in brown pools until I had convinced myself that everything happens for a reason and things tend to work out in the end.

I pulled my eyes away from Ranger's and down to the insignificant mass of words and numbers that had the ability to infinitely alter my world. At first, in a very anticlimactic fashion, I realized I couldn't even make sense of the technical terms and percentages shown. What in the world was hCG… or for that matter the heading which read Rosette Inhibition Assay - EPF Results? I guess I had been expecting a printed version of the 'pregnant' 'not pregnant' pee test visuals.

And then, down at the bottom, my short lived relief at dodging the bullet for not being able to read medical-language died. There was a circled section of print that read '_positive'_ and beside it, a scribbled '_congratulations'_.

I could tell Ranger saw the words at the same moment I did because I was suddenly in his arms.

I shivered from the sheer intensity of flooded feelings coursing through my body at the confirmation. I was going to have a baby.

_Ranger's_ baby.

I was _so_… Going. To. Faint.

**{~.~}**

"I need Tastykakes." I announced hours later.

Ranger and I had showered, eaten, and spent the afternoon hesitantly processing and discussing this newfound situation we were in. Things were going to be changing, life as we knew it was gone, and it was surprisingly… okay. Things, as I had told myself earlier and had kept reminding myself throughout the day, always worked themselves out and everything happened for a reason. We could do this. Ranger and I, together, could handle this.

"Babe."

"I don't care about their nutritional value – I _need_ them Ranger." I paused, still stumbling over the words that wanted to come next. "You can blame pregnancy cravings now."

If Ranger actually did eye rolls, he would have. I fidgeted with the edge of my BatGirl tee, my nose crinkled in response to having to say the word '_pregnancy'_.

"How about we compromise & buy the low-fat Tastykakes?"

"Well that's just sacrilegious."

Ranger shook his head, and looked at me with a mixture of incredulousness and amazement. "Only you, Babe."

Just the way I wanted it.

_And They Lived Happily Ever After..._


End file.
